“No. Why?”
“Want to come over? It might help if we’re all together for a few hours,” suggested Jake.
“If you’re sure you’re up to it. I’ll need to bring Becky.”
“That’s fine.”
“Alright. We’ll be over in an hour or so.”
Ending the call, Jake dialled Paul’s number. The phone rang out, then went to voice mail. Muttering, he hung up and tried Maddy’s number.
“Jake!” she screamed almost instantly down the phone. “Oh, Jake, are you ok?”
“Deaf in one ear now as well as battered and bruised,” he answered.
“Sorry, darling. Are you home?”
“Yes. We got back a few minutes ago. I just spoke to Grey. He’s coming over in an hour. Do you guys want to come over too?”
“Are you sure? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“Yes, but I feel like I need to see everyone. Get everything out in the open,” he replied.
“Let me round up the meatballs and Paul and we’ll be right over,” she said warmly. “I spoke to Jason earlier. He’s coming down to JJL tomorrow.”
“Thought he might be down,” groaned Jake. “If he wants to see me, he’ll need to come out here. I’m not straying too far for the next few days.”
“I don’t know what the plan is. When I find out, I’ll let you know,” promised Maddy. “Now, we’ll see you both in an hour or so.”
Indoors Lori began to empty the bags, tears welling up in her eyes as she saw Jake’s torn bloodstained clothing. His T-shirt was in tatters where it had been cut off. His jeans had been expertly cut up the sides. Only his socks and boots were intact. There was a small plastic bag containing his wallet, some loose change and a handful of guitar picks. Laying the small bag on the nightstand at Jake’s side of the bed, she gathered up the ruined clothing, took it through the house and out to the trash. It may have been her imagination, but it had reeked of death. Realising the time, she fixed them both a sandwich and poured two glasses of iced tea.
Stepping out onto the sundeck, carrying the plates, she found Jake lying propped up on one of the loungers, his cell phone in his lap.
“I brought you some lunch, rock star. You hungry?”
“Not really,” he confessed. “But I’ll eat it.”
Setting the plate on his lap, Lori set the other one down on the table and went back indoors for the iced teas. Jake was nibbling on the soft Italian bread sandwich when she returned.
“Grey called,” said Jake between mouthfuls. “He’s coming over for a while. Paul and Maddy are coming over too.”
“I thought you were meant to be resting?” Lori began to protest. The look on his face told her it was pointless to continue.
“I need to see them, li’l lady. Get seeing them over and done with. Get all the awkwardness out of the way.”
“I understand,” she replied, realising that some company might just be good for both of them. “Just don’t overdo things.”
“I’m not moving from here,” he said with a smile full of pain. “It hurts like hell to move.”
“You’d better not. John said you were to rest.”
A short while later, just as Jake had dozed off under the shade of the parasol, Grey and Becky arrived. They came round the side of the house, as Lori was taking the lunch dishes indoors. She indicated to them both to be quiet and to follow her indoors. Once in the kitchen, Grey gave her a hug and asked if she was alright.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’m just worried about Jake.”
Turning to Becky, she said, “You need to be really gentle with Uncle Jake for now, honey. No hugs today.”
“I know. Daddy said already,” replied the little girl seriously. “I drew him a picture to make him feel better.”
She showed Lori the colourful drawing.
“It’s me and Uncle Jake on the beach.”
“He’ll love that, honey,” said Lori, smiling warmly at the little girl. “You can give it to him when he wakes up.”
“Can I watch TV until then?”
“On you go,” laughed Lori, as the little girl skipped into the sunroom in search of the remote control.
Grey and Lori were still sitting in the kitchen when Paul and Maddy arrived with the twins. Both babies were wide awake and contentedly sucking their thumbs as Paul carried them through in their car seats. There were fresh tears, as the two girls hugged each other.
“We’d better go outside,” said Lori, after she had fetched everyone a drink. “I don’t want Jake getting up to come looking for us.”
Quietly, they all made their way out onto the sundeck. The babies’ car seats had individual sun shades, but Lori asked Paul to put up the big umbrella to make sure they were out of the intense July sun. When she saw Jake lying asleep, looking pale and bruised, Maddy began to cry again.
“Emotion, Maddison?” said Jake sleepily as he opened his eyes. “Should I be worried?”
“Oh, Jake!” she exclaimed, wiping away a tear. “How can you joke at a time like this?”
“Sorry,” he apologised as he struggled to sit up a bit. All of them saw the pain etched into his face as he moved.
“You ok there?” asked Grey, sitting down on the deck beside the lounger.
“I’ll live,” muttered Jake, reaching over to rub his shoulder. “How are you guys today?”
“Been better,” confessed Paul. “I still don’t believe this is all real.”
They all agreed that they felt the same, prompting a fresh discussion about the accident and more tears, as they mourned the loss of their friend. From her seat at the table, Lori realised that Jake had been right to invite everyone over. Getting all the grief and emotion out in the open seemed to be helping all of them come to terms with the tragedy. Gradually, Jake began to ask questions about Gary’s family and the funeral.
“His sister and brother are flying in tomorrow from England,” said Maddy, fiddling with her bracelet. “Jason called them. He’s collecting them in Philadelphia himself, then bringing them down here late tomorrow afternoon. Paul’s collecting Scott at BWI tomorrow night.”
“What about the funeral?” asked Jake.
“Probably won’t be for a week at least,” answered Paul softly. “We’ll need to wait until his body is released by the coroner.”
“Oh, what a fucking mess,” sighed Jake, shaking his head. “And then there’s the album. And, shit, we’re meant to play that festival on the 27th.”
“Don’t worry about any of that today,” scolded Maddy sharply. “Leave that stuff up to me to fix.”
“But you’re still on meatball leave,” pointed out Grey, raising one eyebrow at her. “Or has that changed?”
“I promised Jason I’d help out in the short term,” revealed Maddy. “We’ve not discussed it all yet. I’m meeting him either tomorrow when he gets here or on Tuesday. I’ve spoken to Jim Marrs too. He can work on the mixes for the completed tracks he’s got for now. We’ll just need to play the rest by ear. The important thing here is getting Jake and Rich back to full health.”
“Amen to that,” sighed Grey.
When it came time to cook dinner, Grey and Paul stepped in as chefs, insisting that Jake supervise from the sun lounger. The two girls took the twins indoors to feed and change them, before setting the table for dinner. Bored with the cartoon channel, Becky was pleading with her daddy to be allowed down onto the beach. As Grey attempted to scold her for asking, Jake declared that he needed to stretch his legs for a few minutes and that he would take her for a short walk. Ever so gently, Becky took his hand and the others watched as he walked slowly barefoot down the path onto the hot sand.
“He’ll be fine,” whispered Maddy, noticing the worry on Lori’s face. “Don’t panic. He probably just needs a few minutes to himself.”
“You’re right,” replied Lori, shifting a wriggling Wren onto her other hip. “I just hope he’s not too long down there.”
The beach in front of the hous
e was deserted, the heat having chased the day-trippers home early. Once out of sight of the house, Jake let go of Becky’s hand and watched as the little girl ran and jumped towards the water’s edge. She had kicked off her sandals as she ran and splashed happily in the wet sand, allowing the waves to trickle in over her feet. It struck Jake just how full of life she was, seemingly oblivious to the pain and grief of the adults around her. Feet caked in sand, she ran back up the beach towards him and took his hand again.
“Come into the water, Uncle Jake,” she pleaded, smiling up at him. “It’ll make you feel better.”
“Not today, princess,” he replied. “I’ve got my jeans on. I’ll get them wet.”
“I could roll them up for you,” she said, determined not to be beaten.
With a smile, Jake said,” What the hell! Roll them up, Becky.”
Her small hands clumsy, the little girl knelt in the sand in front of her favourite “Silver Lake uncle” and rolled his jeans up to mid-calf length. Happy with her handiwork, she led him down to the water’s edge, then slowly out into the shallows. The ocean was relatively calm. No breakers crashing in today, just small gentle waves.
“I’m sorry you got hurt,” said the little girl sincerely. “And I’m sad that Gary got killed.”
“Me too,” replied Jake, digging in the soft, wet sand with his toes.
“Maybe he’s with my Mommy,” continued Becky with all the innocence of a child. “She could buy him a drink at the bar in Heaven.”
Jake started to laugh, then grabbed his ribs as a spasm of pain wracked through him. “Oh, don’t make me laugh, Becky. It hurts too much to laugh. But, you know what? I reckon you’re right. Your mom will be taking care of him. Maybe my mom’s fixing them both dinner.”
“That would be a good thing,” said the little girl seriously. “My Mommy was a rotten cook.”
Trying hard not to laugh, Jake took her hand and they walked a little way along the beach.
“Will you have a scar when the doctor takes the stitching out?” she asked, staring at the black fuzzy stitches under his eye.
“Probably.”
“Like Lori’s?”
“Not as nasty as Lori’s, princess,” he answered, recalling that the little girl was one of the few folk who had seen the full extent of the scarring to Lori’s thigh. “It’ll fade once it’s healed over. Uncle Rich is going to have one too. His cut is above his eye. He needed more stitches than me. It’s a bit of a mess.”
“He could grow his hair to cover it,” she suggested helpfully.
“Maybe,” said Jake softly. “Come on, princess. Time to go back. I’m getting sore and I’m hungry.”
Hand in hand, they walked back along the shoreline, splashing each other in the shallow water. Despite being rolled up, Jake’s jeans were soon soaked up to the knees. The short walk had done him the world of good. His heart was still heavy with grief, but Becky had helped him to see that all was not totally lost. She ran on ahead up the beach to the house, remembering to pick up her sandals on the way. By the time Jake reached the path, Lori was on her way down to look for him, Wren still nestled on her shoulder.
“I was getting worried,” she said softly.
“Relax, li’l lady,” he replied, putting his good arm around her and hugging her gently. “I’m fine. Becky helped me to see things in a different light. There’s a wise woman inside that little girl.”
“There is?”
Jake nodded, before declaring, “I’m hungry. Is dinner ready yet?”
“Almost.”
Although Jake sat at the table with the others for dinner, they all quickly saw that he was in incredible pain and tiring rapidly. With the meal over, Paul and Maddy announced that they needed to get the little ones home. Picking up on their lead, Grey too said he needed to head off. Only Becky protested about having to leave so early.
“You can come back later in the week, princess,” promised Jake, giving her a gentle hug. “I’m going for a soak in the tub, then I’m going to bed. You wore me out down on the beach.”
“Come on, angel,” instructed Grey, hoisting his daughter into his arms. “You need a good scrub in the tub too.”
With everyone gone, the house and its surroundings seemed unnaturally quiet. Lori had brought them both a glass of wine out onto the deck. They sat together, listening to the gentle rhythm of the waves swooshing in down on the beach. In the dusky light, Lori noted how pale and drawn Jake looked. His earlier bravado was gone along with their guests.
“Bath time,” he said as he finished off his wine.
“Probably a good idea. Might help to ease off your muscles a bit. There’s a bottle of muscle soak in the cabinet. Add a little of that. Its herbal stuff I bought when I came down here at first,” replied Lori, watching him wince as he stood up. “Want me to come and talk to you?”
Jake shook his head. “I could use some time on my own, if you don’t mind, li’l lady.”
“I understand,” she said, reaching out to touch his hand. “Yell if you need me. I’ll be out here for a while longer.”
“Can you unfasten this sling for me?” he asked. “It’s annoying the crap out of me.”
“You need to keep it on for a few days at least,” scolded Lori, as she reached to unfasten it for him. “Doctor’s orders.”
“I know. I know. But, it’s annoying the fresh ink on my chest. I’ll put it back on before I go to bed. Promise.”
She watched as he walked slowly through the sunroom, holding his left arm protectively under the elbow.
Steam and a strong smell of eucalyptus and lemongrass filled the en suite bathroom. As the tub filled up, Jake stood naked in front of the full length mirror, inspecting the bruising to his battered body. Quite an impressive collection, he thought to himself as he found another one on his left hip. He was still amazed that his eye hadn’t gone black. His cheek bone, below the gash, was tender to the touch. Taking extra care not to slip on the damp, tiled floor, he climbed into the bathtub and very slowly lowered himself into the hot water. Gingerly, he lay back and rested his head on the edge of the tub. Eyes closed, he lay there allowing the heat from the water to seep into his weary body. Breathing deeply caused him some pain but gradually, as his muscles began to relax, so did his breathing.
Part of him felt guilty for telling Lori that he needed time alone; part of him relished the quiet, secluded calm of the bathroom. It was the first chance he had really had to be alone to try to take stock of all that had happened over the last thirty-six hours or so. His mind was haunted anew with the images, sounds and smells of the crash. Images of the aftermath, of the paramedics and the ER all flooded in, threatening to overwhelm him. Memories of the police officer interviewing him in the dim light of the ward, forcing him to relive the full horror again while his wounds had still been raw and open. The herbal heat of the water surrounding him gently teased out the worst of the pain.
As he relaxed, his thoughts moved to Rich and a fresh wave of guilt washed over him as he thought of his friend, still lying in the hospital alone. He felt for Grey and Paul too, who had had to watch the whole drama unfold in front of them, totally helpless to do anything about it. His mind wandered to Gary’s family and to the long journey they were due to make in the morning. He didn’t envy them that one. Gary had been a very private person, rarely talking about the family he was homesick for. Lord alone knew what he was going to say to them when he met them.
With a smile, he thought back to his brief walk along the sand with Becky and her child’s directness and innocent wisdom. The vision of Gary propping up the bar with Grey’s late wife made him smile. Happy memories began to seep in as he recalled working and drinking with Gary and the rest of the band. The vision of him passed out on the sun deck after they had all celebrated the arrival of the twins tugged at his heart.
Deliberately, Jake tried not to think about the amount of work left to be finished out at JJL. He tried not to worry about the string of festival appearances th
at Silver Lake had lined up. Rubbing his injured shoulder, he wondered how long it would be before he could play guitar again. The joint throbbed hotly under his touch. Testing it, Jake tried to move it and was rewarded with a fresh bolt of pain.
As the water grew cooler, he reached over and twisted the dial to release the plug. He lay in the tub until the last of the water had drained away, then gently eased himself up and onto his feet. The movement caused fresh ripples of pain to flow through him, but, ignoring them, he climbed out of the bath and reached for the towel. He managed to wrap the large, pale green, fluffy bath sheet around his waist, then he draped a smaller towel over his shoulders.
When Lori came into the bedroom, she found Jake stretched out on top of the bed, sound asleep, still wrapped in the damp towels. He looked calm and relaxed, his breathing deep and even. Trying not to disturb him, she got ready for bed as quietly as she could. He was still sleeping like a baby when she turned off the lamp.
The bed beside her was empty when Lori awoke next morning. The damp towels lay in a heap on the floor. A gentle aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through from the kitchen. Wearing only her T-shirt, Lori wandered through the house in search of Jake. He was sitting at the kitchen table, chatting on the phone, a half drunk mug of coffee going cold in front of him. From the half of the conversation that she could hear, Lori couldn’t determine who he was talking to. Trying not to make too much noise, she poured herself an OJ then went through to the sunroom, not wanting to intrude on her fiancé’s call.
“Morning,” said Jake from the doorway a few minutes later.
“Morning, rock star. How do you feel today?”
“Sore, but more tuned in,” he replied, still cradling his arm. “Can you help me with that fucking sling, please? My shoulder’s not feeling so great.”
Lifting the discarded sling from the couch, Lori helped him to slide his arm into it and secured the fastener.
“Who was on the phone?”
“Dr Marrs,” answered Jake, adjusting his arm’s position in the cradle of the support. “He was checking up on me.”
Impossible Depths (Silver Lake series Book 2) Page 19