The Sauna Part 241

The crowd loved the acoustic set that the guys played and you could have heard a pin drop when Richie pulled out his mandolin and played ‘The Battle of Evermore’. Jon had exited the stage to change clothes and I handed him a clean shirt and a towel while I stood spellbound watching Richie. Jon placed his arm around my waist as together we smiled when the song ended with a clamour of thunderous applause.

The final set had the crowd on their feet and I danced along on the side with a few members of the crew. Jon was on fire and we were all swept away with his magic no matter how many times we had seen the same numbers. The final encore ended the performance and the houselights went up and a happy but sweaty Jon bounded off stage in my direction.

“You were amazing” I said sincerely for what felt like the millionth time and he grinned.

“A little inspiration goes a long way” he teased as he toyed with the laces of my halter again.

“Stop that!” I laughed, swatting his arm playfully while he made duck lips at me.

I kissed him soundly as we made our way off the stage and the rest of the guys joined us in the back room where there were cold drinks and an assortment of cheeses, meats and breads in true German fashion. Jon downed a large glass of beer, quenching his thirst and whetting his appetite for another. He refilled his glass and held it up to toast all the guys for a great show.

“I could almost give up wine permanently for this stuff” he pronounced as he swallowed again.

“So where are we going to party?’ he nudged Richie who’d caught up with Heike as soon as the encore had ended.

“Any suggestions, doll?” he asked for her input.

“I know this great club…” she began when my cell phone rang and I was jarred back to reality.

“It’s Rick” I said in a hushed voice as I answered the call.

“Hi Trish, it’s Rick. Is Jon there with you or is he still on stage?” he asked first.

“He’s right here with me-they just finished. Tell me what happened” I asked frantically.

“You can relax now; the rat bastard’s in jail. Cherie’s okay, but he slapped her before we got in the house, but it’s all over now and you’d have been proud of her. She pressed charges and they hauled him away. Wanna talk to her yourself?” he suggested.

I quickly relayed what Rick had said and Jon nodded as I heard Cherie’s voice on the phone. She didn’t sound like herself, but it had been quite a night, and I wasn’t surprised to hear the strain in her voice. She told me what happened, at least as far as she knew, since she still wasn’t clear how Dave got the bloody lip and neither Rick or Jared had been forthcoming about that.

“Trish, I pressed charges this time. And I mean it, I’m really done. He didn’t even seem glad to see me, he just started yelling as soon as he knew I was there and I never even got to explain a thing. He accused me of being unfaithful, but he doesn’t actually know about Jim. Oh Trish, I felt so ashamed, but you know, he hasn’t changed and I don’t think he wants to. I should have listened to you all along” she continued, barely breathing as the words poured forth in a rush.

“It’s okay, Cher, it’s okay. I know you had to see for yourself. I’m just glad that you’re safe now” I said, trying to soothe her agitation.

“I’m so glad you didn’t listen to me and sent a bodyguard anyway. I don’t know what he’d have done if it weren’t for Jon’s men” she went on.

“Cherie, I did listen and I tried to respect your wishes. We had Rick and Jared watching Dave the whole time, not you. I just didn’t trust Dave” I explained.

“Well, whatever, but I’m glad that you did. And I’m grateful. Tell Jon for me too, okay?” she asked.

“She wants to thank you” I said as I handed the phone to Jon.

“Cherie? Are you okay? Good. I’m just glad they were there too and that you’re safe” he said smiling.

“Rick wants to talk to you too” she said as she handed the phone to him.

“Jon? Yeah, everything’s under control here. Do you want me to stick around? I wanna make sure he doesn’t make bail and then start harassing her, you know?” Rick explained.

“Stick around until you’re sure all is well, man, or leave Jared. Trish wants to talk to Cherie again” he said, giving the phone back to me.

“Cher, Rick’s gonna stay with you, or maybe Jared, for a while until we’re certain that Dave is no longer a threat. You’ll need to get the Order of Protection and will you please now go and get an advocate and a counselor? They’ll go with you to court and they’ll help you learn how to stay safe, okay?” I pleaded, hoping she’d listen this time.

“Okay, okay. I won’t argue anymore. I could really use someone to talk to and I know it’s not fair to keep dumping on you” she agreed.

“Cherie, you’re my best friend. I’ll always be there for you, but an advocate can help you in ways that I can’t and you need a counselor who can be more objective than me. But you can always call me, is that clear?” I insisted.

“Yep, I got it. Thanks Trish. I love you, you know. And I miss you” she said, starting to cry.

“I miss you too, Cher, and I love you and I’ll see you soon. And don’t forget about Jim-he’s there for you too. Will you call him right now and tell him what happened? He’s been worried sick, you know” I reminded her.

“I was planning to call him as soon as we hung up. Thanks again and tell Jon again too, okay?” she said, sounding calmer.

“I will. Call Jim. Bye Cher” I said finally as I hung up.

“You’ll see her again soon? What does that mean, babe? You’re not leaving yet, are you?” Jon said with a worried expression.

“No, love, not right away. But eventually I have to go home” I reminded him.

“I know, but not yet. Please?” he asked me again.

“Not just yet” I promised, dreading the inevitable separation again myself.

We turned our attention to Richie and Heike who’d moved off to discuss plans for the evening with the rest of the guys. I still wanted to go out, even if only for a little while, as we now had a reason to celebrate. Cherie was safe now and Dave was where he belonged, and besides, I would be forty-five in less than an hour.