Ch. 2

Jon Bon Jovi was looking at himself in the bathroom mirror of his New Jersey apartment he shared with longtime girlfriend Dorothea Hurley.
It was the first of a three-day break. Rare indeed for a man whose band had sold 12 million records.
He literally slept most of the day . Exhausted, he knew this tour wasn’t going to end anytime soon.
Jon continued to look at his face in horror. It was bloated. Heavy dark circles appeared like a mask around his famous blue eyes. His famous long, brown hair was swept in a ponytail. He touched his chin and noticed a two-day growth..
But most of all, he could barely speak. His throat was killing him. It was a constant pain .Before it was only when he sang, now, the pain was so severe that he could hardly let out a whisper.
Dorothea watched in the corner of the bathroom. He looked broken and battered. Unfortunately, the tour wasn’t even close to being done. She got up and walked alongside him. She put her head on his shoulder. Jon closed his eyes. He hated how he looked and most of all, how he felt.
“Good afternoon baby.” Dorothea said.
“Is it?” he whispered.
Dorothea nodded. She glanced at her watch. “It’s 2 pm.”
“2 o’clock? Geez, I was supposed to go over to mom’s house this morning. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because your mother came here. Took one look at you and decided that it could wait. “ She said.
He touched his throat. The pain was agonizing. “I have to see the doctor about my voice. My throat is killing me.” He told her.
“It needs rest. Just like you. You shouldn’t keep trying to talk.” Dorothea replied.
“It’s more than my voice Dot. Look at me. I’m sick. I’m sick all the time now. These steroids they’re giving me I swear are doing more harm than good.”
“It’s stopping your throat from swelling up Jon. Look, you have to keep on going. People paid and worked very hard at their own jobs just to see you and the other guys. You can’t stop now.” She said. “I need a break. I really don’t feel great. I could postpone things a month or two. I think everyone would understand. “ He told her.
Dorothea signed. Jon simply could not take a break right now. If he did, the doctor’s would make him stop for awhile like he said so that he could rest his voice. To her that meant dealing with Jon’s parents, Carol and John Bongiovi, day in and day out. Dot was in no mood for that. The two of them didn’t like her in the first place and she’d be damned if those two were going to give her a rough time about what Doc and his team were giving Jon and the other band members to keep on going on this tour. If she kept him on the road and within her grasp, she wouldn’t have to listen to them. She could be with him and let things in their relationship continue to flourish.
“Baby, just get some rest. Then see how you feel in a couple of days. You’ll feel better before Saturday’s Philly show. Really you will. Trust me. “ She said.
Jon looked at her through the reflection of the mirror. He smiled weakly and walked away into the bedroom. Dorothea watched him go back to bed without saying another word…
Meanwhile at McGhee Entertainment, Doc McGhee and his team were finalizing press for the next leg of the Jersey Syndicate tour.
Doc was very proud of the band. Their success surpassed even his wildest dreams. Since the tour was already sold-out, his team needed to focus on more press and a follow-up album. This afternoon, he was fielding offers from MTV, Much Music in Canada, Rolling Stone and the Philly Post.
Sitting in his office, Doc and tour manager Paul Korzilius began to sift through the offers.
“Here we go. Rolling Stone wants to do a cover story on Jon. “ Paul said. Doc rolled his eyes. “Dear God. Jon will shit a brick. Tell me the guys would be in it too?” Doc smirked.
Paul shook his head. “Nope. No other band members. Just Jon.”
Doc signed. “I figured that. Tell them yes. I’ll just have to explain it to Jon.”
Paul agreed. “Yeah. He can’t turn this down. Rolling Stone’s a big deal. Especially a cover story. It can introduce him to new fans. “
Doc said. “Yep. Sell more records. Sell more tickets for him and the guys. But he really hates doing these types of stories. To be honest, I’m almost afraid to ask him.”
“Do you want me to?” Paul asked.
Doc shook his head. “Nah. I want to talk to him about more overseas dates.”
“How’s his voice?” Paul asked.
Doc looked down at the Rolling Stone proposal. “Very raw. He could barely whisper the other night.” Doc said.
Paul frowned. “Could it hurt to keep them off the road for a month?”
”I’d love to. And it wouldn’t hurt. Not at all. But unfortunately these dates are contracted. We can’t get out of them. And Paul you know him. He wouldn’t cancel or postpone these dates if his life depended on it.”
“It may if he keeps up these crazy-ass schedule.” Paul replied.
“Dot says that he can handle it. Jon says he can handle it. So do the guys. What am I going to do?” Doc said.
“You as his manager and friend can make him stop.” Paul said.
“And run the risk of him firing me? Paul, people besides myself would lose their jobs too. Do you want me to explain to a roadie’s wife and kids who are expecting food in their stomachs and a roof over their head that they’ve been let go?”
“True. “ Paul said. “However Doc, Jon’s got to understand that he as the front person has to come first. Those people can be without a job. God forbid if Jon forbid keels over from exhaustion or a doctor tells him, no more singing. Period. “
“You’re preaching to the choir here. I agree with you. But he wants what he wants.” Doc said.
“Am I preaching? Or is this whole grand-scale spectacle you?” Paul asked. “You oversee the Skids and Motley Crue. This team isn’t entirely dependent on Jovi. “
“No. It’s not. But the boys are the Number one Rock Band in the world, they have the number one album in the world right now, but most of all to promote that album, they have the number one tour of the year. Again. Those dates were made months ago, like these other ones we’re about to make. To put on a tour of this magnitude, we have to add more people to our staff. Some of these people are dedicated exclusively to Bon Jovi. Jon wants to go back and do some dates again to promote the new single. Are you getting it now, more dates to set in stone, more money for the staff to provide for their families. Paul, I love him. He’s like a brother to me. But Jonny himself set up these mandates. Not me. A lot of people have a lot riding on him. In my heart of hearts I know he needs a break, however, unfortunately it’s a luxury and the other members can’t afford until after this tour is over. “ Doc refuted.
Paul sat there motionless. He was fond of Jon as a friend. He hated what this touring schedule was doing to not only him, but the rest of the guys. He does understand Doc’s point of view. His staff members have families dependent on Jon and this band until the tour ends. But is anyone really talking to Jon about this. He didn’t know how to feel at this point. So he decided that for now he needed to separate himself and do his job the way Jon would want him to. For the first time, Paul had to not care and just hope for the best.