Fallen Melody: Fallen: Book 1

by Layna Snow

  28

  Pain. That was all he felt. Well, pain and a weird weightlessness that reminded him of the time he had taken that pill at that rave. Oh boy, had that been a bad idea! He’d had tried to take someone’s car, of course he thought it had been his. The guy had taken the opportunity to prove him wrong.

  Caleb could still imagine that night about 10 years ago. He had been floating until jail, and then he had sank like a lead balloon, right into reality. Right into the fucking shithole of a situation. And right where he could open his eyes and see Seth’s disappointed face.

  That was when he realized the he needed Seth. And as he looked at the thin, rundown man he considered a brother, that’s when he realized that Seth needed him.

  But, this was different. He couldn’t fucking see anything. He couldn’t really move his limbs either, they felt strangely heavy. And his brain felt like it was filled with cotton. Had he gotten drunk? But no, his body knew that feeling all too well. This was not the same thing. It also didn’t compare to the time he got high. Of course that only happened long enough for Cecilia to find out and smack him.

  Fuck, what had he gotten into? And where the hell was he?

  The last thing he remembered was a dark forest. It was a forest right?

  And had there been a girl there?

  He could picture some beautiful red hair that flowed around a heart-stopping gorgeous little body. And of course there were those big eyes of clear blue and luscious lips that looked so good surrounding a cock… whose cock? It wasn’t his.

  And then he remembered. Melody.

  She was Melody, the Fallen Angel that had captured his heart. And her lips had been around Seth’s cock, the one and only time they had been intimate. Fuck! And how he wished to change that! He should have been fucking her every night. But nooo, he had the smartass idea to wait for Seth to come around.

  And now he was… wherever he was. And where was Mel?

  Shit! He’d been in a forest alright! And he hadn’t been alone. Nope, there was a guy with him, the guy who attacked his girl. And what the hell happened after that?

  He remembered telling Mel to run, to get Seth. Surely she had made it. Surely she was safe with Seth.

  But what if she wasn’t?

  That question was enough to break through the fog that surrounded him. It was enough to force him to open his eyes. He couldn’t lay here anymore. Not when Mel could be in danger.

  At first, all he saw was bright blinding light. It hurt like fuck, and made Cay close his eyes again. Holy fucking crap! What is that? Fucking laser, cornea burning, special deathray?

  But of course it was. What else would he get? Soft mood lighting?

  Cay tried again, and this time he could keep his eyes open for a moment before they started to water and he had to shut them. Well this is great. I guess this will be my life now. He thought sarcastically. He tried to sigh but then realized where the pain was coming from. His ribs fucking killed.

  Broken. Awesome. No, no universe. I really appreciate all this. Just what I needed, really!

  God, he really didn’t want to do this. He just wanted to go back to sleep and deal with this another time. But of course, that wasn’t an option. He needed to figure out what happened to Mel. Hell, it’d be nice to figure out what happened to me.

  Finally he was able to open his eyes enough to look around, as much as he could without turning his head, because of course that had to spin when he tried!

  Caleb noticed several things. He was in a white-ish room. Probably cream or some shit. There was a slight beeping sound that he hadn’t noticed before, it was constant and was annoying as fuck. And that was about it. A ceiling and a wall. Was that an edge of a curtain?

  “Oh! Cay! You’re awake!” came the high voice from his left. No, hell that was his right. And it was so loud that he closed his eyes again in a wince. Couldn’t they keep their voice down, whoever it was? It hurt like hell!

  And then he realized who it was. Mel. She was there, obviously alright. God, was that ever a relief. He’d have let out his breath heavily, but that would probably kill him.

  Caleb managed to open his eyes again, and this time he was greeted by the loveliest sight he could have ever imagined. His Kitten was standing over him, her hair loose and falling around her like a curtain. It showed off her beautiful, delicate face. And the shining smile that was on it. Damn, that was perfect.

  And then Seth’s head came into view. “Get your ugly mug out of the way, bro. You’re ruining this.”

  And of course Seth laughed, the deep chuckle still loud enough to grate on his nerves. “And be quiet. I feel like I have a hangover from hell.” He sounded like it too. He could almost feel his words scraping at his throat. Damn he was thirsty.

  “Thirst, huh? Damn, boy. I’ll take care of you!” came a high-pitched voice came from somewhere to his right.

  He wanted to groan, but surely that’d hurt his ribs too. “Watch it, I’m with the lady here.”

  Apparently that was funny, for the disembodied voice laughed. “You wish! I know she’s with your buddy. But I got it, you’re not interested, no need to lie. I’ll just go tell the doc that you’re up and get you some water. Be back in a flash folks!” it said, and then left quickly.

  “Who’s that?” Cay asked, shutting his eyes again so that he didn’t have to keep blinking.

  “Your nurse, Max,” Mel said, even her voice sounded happy.

  “He? As in male?” he asked, and actually did groan and it still hurt like a motherfucker. “Why does everyone think I’m gay?”

  Seth chuckled a little. “I think it’s the charm, the muscles and the fact that you hair looks like you style it constantly.”

  “Hey, it just falls like that! And who are you to talk? You look like you come from a romance cover, Sheik.”

  “Wrong ethnicity.” Seth pointed out.

  Damn, damn, double damn! If that was a nurse then he was in a hospital. Sure, that was good. He was alive and so was Mel, but that didn’t mean he liked being here. They’d coddle him, make him actually rest. And they would constantly tell him what to do, what not to do. And that meant that he probably couldn’t work.

  Cay sighed, a little—so he wouldn’t hurt more—and lifted his hand to rub his face. But what he encountered was material. On his hand? “What the fuck?” he asked, opening his eyes again.

  “You have a fracture of the fifth metacarpal.” Seth supplied, although it was less than helpful.

  “What did you just say?”

  Seth sighed and shifted a little. “It’s called a boxer’s fracture. You broke the bone in your hand that leads to your pinky finger.”

  Ahhh, when he punched the ground. “Right right. The ground jumped in front of my fist, I swear.” He said, looking at the splint on his hand. It wasn’t too bad. At least he didn’t have a cast. “What else is wrong with me? Why does my head feel like someone’s trying to jackhammer the cotton that my brain is wrapped in?”

  Seth laughed again. Well, glad you think this is funny, buddy. I’ll be here all week! Shit, he hoped not! “You had a concussion. You can’t be given pain medication yet. They will send you home with a prescription, but you can’t fill it until tomorrow. I mentioned it when you woke up for the second time, but I don’t think you remember it. The first time, however, was amusing.”

  He’d been awake before? He didn’t remember that. “The first time?”

  “Yeah, you woke up, hit on the nurse, and then fell back asleep. He wrote his number down for you, in case you forgot it.”

  Well of course he hit on a gay guy. Everything else today has been just peachy.

  “How long have I been out?”

  Melody must have decided to answer this question, because she stood over him again. “Oh, all night! I was so worried, Cay! They said you might not wake up! I don’t want you to die! Promise me you won’t ever die!”

  Oh, if it was only that easy. “Sure, Kitten. Never, ever.”

  Seth snorted.
“He’s not serious, Mel. You can’t believe him right now. Everyone dies eventually. He just won’t for a long time. He’s going to be careful from now on.”

  “Sure, sure. Yepp. Careful.”

  Seth looked concerned for a moment. “We had to call the new technician, Ian, in early. He started today, but if we’re going to be here for too much longer, we will need to hire someone else. He hasn’t called me in yet, but he could at any time.”

  Shit! He didn’t want to take Seth away from the practice, but there was a part of him that needed his friend here with him. It made him feel a little better.

  Just then another woman came in the room. He could tell because she walked right up to him and shined a fucking flashlight in his eyes. He tried to shy away, but she held his eyelid open. The fucking bitch. “Be good, Mr. Price. I need to make sure your brain is functioning. I’d hate to keep you here longer than you need to be. My nurses have been sneaking looks in here all day. Makes the male nurses feel jealous.”

  “Well, tell them I’m taken.”

  “If thinking you’re gay isn’t working. Telling them that you’re taken isn’t going to work either. Sorry hot stuff, but you have a following now.”

  Cay just groaned, and then groaned again when his ribs protested. “You can’t have pain meds yet, Mr. Price. I’d keep you here longer because of the concussion, but I think you’re alright to go home. If you feel dizzy, your vision goes blurry, or you black out come right back. If not, you can get your pain medication filled.” the doctor asked.

  Cay would have shaken his head—because he could now that she had finished with his other eye—but he knew from before that head movement was not something he could deal with.

  “No, I can handle a little pain. And call me Caleb.” He told the woman. She had saved his life after all, hadn’t she? It felt like he had almost died.

  “Don’t bother flirting with me, Caleb. I’ll have you know that I’m happily married.”

  Cay heard Mel make a rude sound in her throat and he would have laughed if he could have. She was jealous. But she had no reason to be. He wasn’t interested in anyone else.

  “No flirting. I swear. I’m in a long term, dedicated relationship at the moment. I might be the luckiest guy in the world.”

  “Sure, lucky.” The doctor responded dryly. “Which is why you have a broken head, messed up ribs and a broken hand. Yep. I’d consider that luck for sure.”

  The doctor left quickly, saying that she had other patients to deal with. Which left him alone with the people he cared about. The only people he cared about at the moment.

  However that didn’t last long. The nurse quickly joined them, a cup of water in his hand. The guy put the straw in Cay’s mouth so he could drink. And boy, did that water ever taste good. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he was until he took a sip. And of course he was thirsty, if he had been out all night he hadn’t had any water.

  Well, the I.V. in his arm probably kept him hydrated enough.

  When he had all he could drink, he let the nurse take the water away. The guy was pretty, for a male. He had long eyelashes, eyes the colour or cornflowers, and hair that was almost feminine in length. No wonder he had thought he was a girl in his delirious state. He just hated that he had flirted with anyone when Mel was there. He wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t have been out of it, that was for sure.

  The guy winked at him before leaving. Was he wiggling his behind? Cay just shut his eyes so that he could ignore that. He was not interested in guys. Nope. Sure, he wanted to have a sexual relationship involving his best friend, but he didn’t want to have sex with him!

  “So, the police will probably be here to talk to you about what happened. We already talked to them. You should probably tell them something similar. Hmm?” Seth said, pulling his chair up so that Caleb could see him better.

  “Sure. We keeping Melody out of this like normal?”

  Seth nodded, but sighed. “We also have to downplay this, unfortunately. We can’t tell the police who we think did this. We have to hope that they don’t get Nate.”

  What? Why? Had Seth been hit in the head too? “What do you mean? This is our chance to get him.”

  “No, that guy on the computer was right. We can’t let the police interrogate him. What if he tells them what he knows?”

  “What the hell? No one will believe him. You can’t let that guy get to you, Seth! We can find Mel an I.D. without him. We don’t need this crap. We have to make sure that Mel is safe!”

  Seth shook his head. “This is about keeping her safe. She needs that identification. We can’t get one for her.”

  Mel cleared her throat. “I’m standing right here. You can at least pretend that you know I’m in the room.” She said leaning forward so he could see her better. And he wanted to kiss that frown from her face. She was just so cute!

  “We know, Kitten. What do you think we should do?”

  She seemed to think for a moment before smiling again. “I think we should do whatever Seth says.”

  And didn’t that just suck! How could she pick that ass over him? Sure, Seth was usually the smart one, but that didn’t mean that he was always right. That didn’t mean that Cay was dumb either!

  It just galled, knowing that she didn’t trust his opinion. No, she’d defer to Seth, just as everyone did. Nope, no one would bother asking slow Caleb what his thoughts were. No one bothered him with the difficult questions.

  “Sure, whatever. I have nothing important to say anyways.”

  Mel just rolled her eyes. When did she learn that? “Don’t be a baby. Seth looks at this from all angles. Besides, remember our plan?” she said it like it should mean something to him.

  Huh? Then it finally clicked. She was talking about their fucking plan to get Seth to connect to Mel. Well, fuck that! It didn’t matter anymore. This was more important. This was her life.

  “What?” Seth asked, looking between them, clearly confused.

  “Nothing. And it doesn’t matter anymore, Mel. This is important.”

  Seth still looked baffled, but then he seemed to understand. What he thought he knew, Cay didn’t fucking know. He just watched the confusion turn to shock, then all emotion drained from Seth’s face and he sat back, out of sight.

  “Fine. That’s fine. But I will not change my opinion. Too much is at risk. We will find another way to get them. I will not risk anyone else finding out about her. Too many people are already curious. Jimmy the bartender was asking about her when he dropped in with his cat. He mentioned that his scientist brother-in-law was in town and wanted to figure out what was happening with Mel’s reaction to things. That means he knows about the silver. If I didn’t know that Jimmy was too absentminded to pull something like this, I’d think it was him. I thought about this for hours. We will do what the email says. That person knows how to fix this. We do not.”

  Not to mention Cay was sure that he would have noticed so much hair when he struggled with his attacker? It sure would have helped Cay in the fight. He’d never pulled hair, but he would have in that situation!

  Why the fuck was Seth lecturing instead of helping? He stood far away as if distancing himself? What the hell was his problem now?

  And instantly Cay knew what had happened. Seth was throwing his own version of a hissy fit because he thought that they had a secret that they were keeping from him. He thought they were leaving him out of something. And he didn’t like that. Well so-fucking-what. Now wasn’t the time to think about their fucking relationship.

  Someone obviously didn’t mind attacking them to get to Mel. They were getting desperate and Cay couldn’t win against the fucker. They needed help and the cops could help them out. Like it or not, he’d speak with the police. He’d tell them what he thought. And Seth could just go fuck himself.

  29

  “Mr. Price?” The fat cop asked as he walked closer to the bed, coming into his line of sight. Sure, he could turn his head without feeling like he would throw up, b
ut hey… no reason to make it easy on these guys. They were the ones who were late after all.

  “That’s me.” Cay said, leaning back on the pillows he was propped against.

  He could sit up enough now to see the whole room, well, almost the whole room. He didn’t have to feel like an invalid as he sat here. They’d release him soon and he couldn’t wait to go home. He didn’t need to be here. They had already determined that his concussion wasn’t too dangerous now. At least he wouldn’t go into a coma if he slept. There was nothing left to do but to go home and heal.

  That included taking it easy, because any movements made his ribs dig into his body. And fuck did that ever hurt.

  It didn’t help that he couldn’t work until his hand healed. A few weeks and he’d be able to remove the damn splint. A few weeks and all he’d be left with is a bump on his hand to show for his serious miscalculation.

  That will teach me to punch the fucking ground.

  “Can we ask you a couple questions about yesterday?” The hard-assed lady-cop said. She sure looked like she needed to get laid. But her demeanour probably put people off, Cay guessed. She held herself rigidly, her slightly broad shoulders didn’t move as she walked. She was older, around forty, and looked like she had just entered the force. Probably a late career change.

  “Sure.” Cay said, ready to get this over with. The sooner these guys left, the sooner he could get out of here. Besides, they needed to go arrest whoever did this so they would leave Mel alone.

  “Okay, tell me what happened last night.” The man requested as he eyed the chair to his right. Cay waved his hand to it. He didn’t care if the guy sat or stood. When the guy gave a grateful nod and sat, his partner rolled her eyes.

  “Seth got a call about the cat we were fixing up, and our secretary said that someone broke into the clinic. Seth told me to grab Mel and go. She was sleeping and Seth didn’t want her to wake up alone, but he needed me to help. So I woke her up and we left. Halfway through the trail that leads to the clinic, Mel fell. When I reached down to help her up, I was hit by something in the head. Then she started struggling with someone. She called for me, and I attacked.”