Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

  “I hate the smell in these places,” he whispered, taking her hand in his. “You ok?”

  She nodded, then added, “I hate the waiting.”

  “I’m sure it won’t be long,” said Jake softly, not feeling convinced that they wouldn’t be there for a while.

  Lori looked at him, forced a weak smile, then sat back and closed her eyes. It was the first time Jake had seen her look scared and he knew better than to try to talk to her. She was holding his hand tightly. He gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze.

  Half an hour later they were still sitting there and both of them were getting restless. Several of the patients had been called and had left, only to be replaced by several more.

  “Miss Hyde!” called the receptionist at last.

  Lori got stiffly to her feet and, with a quick glance back at Jake, headed off towards the doctor’s office down the corridor. The door was open and as she walked in she tried to muster all her remaining confidence and inner strength.

  “Afternoon, Lori,” greeted John Brent, getting up from behind the desk. “You’re looking well.”

  “Thanks,” she replied abruptly

  “You ok?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” sighed Lori, immediately feeling guilty for being sharp with him. “I just hate waiting. It makes me nervous.”

  “Sorry you had to wait so long. It’s been a busy clinic today. The spring weather always brings me a plethora of new broken bones,” he said with a mischievous smile. “Start of skateboard season.”

  Lori laughed and relaxed a little. “Explains the ankle and elbow injuries out there.”

  “Keeps me in business,” joked the doctor. “Now, how have you been? Jo’s very pleased with your progress. She’s hoping to sign you off her list soon I think.”

  “I’ve been good,” began Lori then she explained to the doctor how she felt she was getting on, expressed her frustration again at the lack of strength in her leg and her annoyance at still having both canes and her general exasperation about how slowly things were improving.

  He listened attentively, then asked her to pop up onto the couch. After a thorough examination, he was happy with her range of movement, a little concerned that there wasn’t much muscle gain as yet but generally he was satisfied that she was improving.

  “Thanks, Lori,” he said, helping her down. “Let me double check a few things with Jo about her treatment plan. I think you should be steady enough to shift down to one cane or no cane around the house only. If you push your limits that bit further it might let you see a bigger improvement. At the end of the day, it’s what you feel comfortable with. I don’t want you to risk a fall. A bad fall and you will be back in surgery.”

  “I wanted to ask you something,” began Lori nervously. “Am I ok to start driving again? I’m going to New York with Jake and the band for a week next month and was hoping to bring my car back here.”

  “Is it an automatic?” asked the doctor.

  “Yes,” replied Lori, hoping this was the right answer.

  “Then I’m sure it will be ok. Maybe not make that drive yourself though. Why not hire a car here for a while and see how you feel driving again?”

  “I had thought of that as an option,” she agreed. “I promise to split the drive from New York with Jake. He wouldn’t let me drive all that way anyway.”

  “Then, yes,” said John with a smile. “Go for it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How do you feel about going back to the scene of the crime?”

  “A bit apprehensive,” admitted Lori quietly. “But it needs to be done some time.”

  Nodding in agreement the doctor said, “Just be careful, Lori.”

  “I will,” she promised.

  “Fine. I don’t need to see you back here till the start of September,” he declared. “If you’ve any concerns before then please give me a call.”

  “Thanks,” she said, rising to leave. “Who knows, I’ll maybe see you around town or on the boardwalk.”

  “Perhaps.”

  As soon as they were back outside, Lori let out a long sigh of relief and her mood visibly lightened. When Jake asked what the doctor had had to say she filled him in on the discussion and then explained about her plan to bring her car back down from the city. As she announced that she intended to hire a car for the next few weeks, she could sense his concern.

  “I need to do this,” she stated as they reached the truck. “I need a bit more independence, especially with Mary being away more.”

  “I guess,” relented Jake reluctantly, as he opened the door for her. “I’ll just worry about you.”

  “Then come with me to collect a hire car later in the week,” she suggested, then adding, “I’m not about to rush out and hire a sports car. I couldn’t get in and out of it for a start!”

  That made Jake laugh as he climbed into the truck.

  “Let’s go and grab something to eat,” he said. “And we can discuss this further, li’l lady.”

  “Yes, sir,” she joked, then laughed at his serious expression. ”Lighten up, Jake. You’re acting like my dad would have.”

  “I guess,” he conceded. “I just don’t want to be spending more time around hospitals if this all goes horribly wrong.”

  “Me neither,” agreed Lori, reaching out to touch his denim clad thigh. “But you can’t wrap me in cotton wool either. Let’s go and eat before we argue over this.”

  “Deal,” he said, starting the engine.

  After a quick bite to eat, they headed back to the beach house. As they pulled up outside, Jake apologised that he couldn’t come in.

  “Why not?” Lori asked with obvious disappointment.

  “You’ll laugh,” he muttered.

  “Try me?” she said, guessing what he was about to say.

  “I’ve papers to mark,” he confessed as she giggled. “And I know it’s really rock ‘n’ roll!”

  “Are you sure?” she said. “I’ve a bit of work to do too, so I would leave you in peace to correct your papers.”

  Jake shook his head, “Not tonight, li’l lady. You’re too big a distraction.”

  “Ok,” she sighed sadly. “Tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow,” he agreed. “But I have a rehearsal at eight.”

  “Do you have classes tomorrow?”

  “Only till lunch. I’ll be over about two,” he promised. “Try to behave yourself until then.”

  Climbing out of the truck, Lori called back, “I’m going in to look into the hire car thing. I’ll see if I can get a deal on a Ferrari or a Porsche.”

  “You dare!” he laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Night, Jake,” she called, as he drove off.

  Shortly after lunch the next day a local car rental firm dropped off her hire car. Despite teasing Jake about hiring a sports car, Lori had elected a much more sensible Honda SUV. As she signed the paperwork and accepted the keys another truck pulled up into the driveway. It was Grey and Becky, who was waving furiously from the front seat. As soon as her daddy had turned off the engine, the little girl jumped from the cab and ran over to hug Lori.

  “Hi, Becky,” said Lori, bending to hug her. “This is a nice surprise.”

  Hearing the other door close, she called out a greeting to Grey.

  “Hi,” he called with a sad smile. “Hope its ok to just drop by like this.”

  “Of course it is! Go on through while I finish this car hire thing,” said Lori, handing the signed paperwork back to the rental car man.

  Grey and his daughter went through to the sun room and by the time Lori joined them, Becky had the TV switched on to the cartoon channel and was sitting cross legged in front of it.

  “Coffee?” asked Lori warmly.

  “Please,” said Grey. “I’ll help you make it. Becky, wait here.”

  The bass player followed her through to the kitchen.

  “You ok?” asked Lori with genuine concern.

  “I guess. Highs and lows,” he admit
ted as he took a seat at the table.

  “It’s early days yet,” said Lori softly. “It’s only been just over a week.”

  “I know,” he sighed, then added. “I hate to admit it, but it’s almost a relief that she’s gone. Does that make me evil?”

  “Not at all. Jake had said life wasn’t exactly paradise.”

  “Christ, you can say that again!”

  When the coffee was brewed, Lori passed him a mug, fetched the sugar and half and half, then sat down at the table opposite him.

  “How’s Becky coping?”

  “Better than me,” he confessed, stirring his coffee. “She’s had her moments but she never did hit it off with her mom. My mom’s been spending time with us but she left this morning. It was Becky who asked if we could come over here.”

  “You know you are both welcome here anytime.”

  “Appreciate that,” said Grey warmly. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “What?” asked Lori, taking a mouthful of her coffee and wondering what the bass player was about to say.

  “The New York thing,” began Grey quietly. “Is it for real?”

  “Yes,” said Lori, almost with relief. “As far as I know, it’s all set up. The guys have agreed to stay at my apartment and Maddy has set up the studio arrangements.”

  “And you’d be ok looking after Becky while I’m in the studio?”

  “Of course. There’s plenty to keep us girls amused while you’re working. She’ll be fine with me for a few days,” assured Lori. “It’s been a while since I’ve been back to New York. It might help me if I have Becky to focus on. I’m kind of nervous about going back.”

  “Why? I thought you lived there?”

  “Most of my life,” said Lori gazing down into her coffee mug. “But I’ve not been back since my accident. I’ve a few ghosts to lay to rest.”

  “The accident was in New York?”

  Lori nodded, but didn't offer any further information. Changing the focus of discussion, she explained that her apartment was in the Upper West Side so they would be central for all city’s main attractions. “Even FAO Schwartz and the American Girl store,” she joked.

  “And this studio session just happens to come free for us?” he enquired sceptically, raising one eyebrow.

  “Maddy’s sorted all of that out,” said Lori without a word of a lie. “The only bits she can’t secure are a record deal or the networking angle. That’s up to you guys.”

  “But the right folk to be networking with will just happen to be in a studio next door?”

  “Such cynicism,” laughed Lori. “But most likely. If they aren’t, then I can maybe, just maybe, make a few well-placed introductions.”

  “No one has ever done anything like this for me in all of my forty plus years on earth,” said Grey seriously. “I don’t get it. Why?”

  “It’s the pay it forward thing,” she explained. “Jake’s helped me. Now it’s my turn to help him and, in this case, all of you.”

  “So now I have to do something to repay you?”

  “No, you just pass on the “good turn” to someone else. It doesn’t have to be me.”

  “I like that theory,” he said with a smile. “Feels like the new start Becky and I need right now.”

  ♪

  As May moved towards June, life around the beach house took on a new relaxed routine. Most days saw Lori working to finish off the album artwork commission during the morning, then she would either have a therapy session with Jo or go for a walk along the beach in the afternoon. Three days a week, Jake came over straight from school to spend some time with her. Initially, when he saw the hire car in the driveway, he insisted she take him out for a short drive just to satisfy himself that she was safe to be back behind the wheel of a car but she quickly convinced him that she was. As the date of their trip grew closer, the band upped their rehearsal schedule, meeting three and four times a week. Twice a week these sessions ended up being held in Lori’s basement as it meant she could keep an eye on Becky while Grey put in the time with the band. She could feel their excitement about the trip building. Their focus and determination to make the most of the opportunity impressed her. At the weekends Jake would stay over with her, often sitting playing his guitar and writing into the wee small hours.

  The night before they were due to leave for New York, they all met up at Lori’s for a BBQ and a last minute planning session. School had finished a few days before, so Jake and Rich had been put in charge of packing up all the band’s gear and stowing it in Lori’s basement ready to be packed into the back of one of the trucks. They had already worked out who was travelling with who - Rich and Paul were going in Rich’s truck with half the gear, Grey and Becky were travelling together and Jake and Lori would transport the rest of the equipment. If it all went according to plan, on the way back Paul would drive Jake’s truck while he and Lori followed in her car.

  After they had eaten their fill and the BBQ was burning down, the band lay sprawled across the sun deck-all except Jake, who had been dragged down to the beach by an over excited Becky. Paul was lying on his back on the deck staring up at the cloudless early evening sky, “I’ve never been to New York. I’m nearly thirty five and I’ve never seen the Statue of Liberty.”

  Rich laughed and confessed neither had he.

  “I can’t believe it’s tomorrow we head off,” said Grey, sipping a lite beer.

  With a quiet smile at their childish excitement, Lori asked, “Ok, what have you forgotten to pack? There has to be something.”

  “Don’t think so,” commented Rich. “But you’re right. We’re bound to have forgotten something."

  “Well, I’m sure whatever it is, we can source a replacement,” laughed Lori, as Jake came back up onto the deck carrying Becky on his shoulders.

  Lifting his daughter down, Grey declared it was time they were heading home. The little girl started to protest, but, after a stern look from her father, she fell silent.

  “We’ll see you tomorrow,” promised Lori. “You and I are going to have fun while the boys work. What do you want to do first?”

  “Dance on the big piano in the toy store,” declared Becky emphatically.

  “We’ll see what we can do,” said Lori. “Grey, you’ve got the address ok?”

  “Sure have,” he confirmed. “See you all tomorrow in the Big Apple.”

  With all the gear loaded into the back of the two trucks, they left Rehoboth before ten the next morning. The roads out of town were quiet and they made good time as they headed towards the New Jersey Turnpike. In Jake’s truck he had some Lynyrd Skynyrd playing on the stereo and was happily singing along to “Tuesday’s Gone.” Beside him Lori was trying to relax but was obviously anxious about heading towards the city. In an effort to get her to relax, Jake asked about her apartment and her plans for the week.

  “My dad made his money from property,” she said, opening up for the first time about her father. “He helped me to choose the apartment when I was about twenty one. I lived there after I finished college.”

  “Are you sure there’s room for all of us?”

  “Plenty. There’s four bedrooms so we’re good.” she said then, as an afterthought, added, “I assumed you would be ok sharing with me.”

  “Anytime, li’l lady,” he replied with a grin. “How far is your place from the studio?”

  “Well, the studios are on 28th Street and the apartment is 82nd. It’s a fair walk. You’d be best getting a cab downtown,” she explained. “Maddy has reserved two parking spaces for you to get your stuff in and out on Sunday and next Saturday, but its tight four hour slots each day I believe.”

  “It’ll be fine,” said Jake softly. “I just can’t believe this is actually happening. What if we mess up?”

  “You won’t,” she said warmly. “I trust Maddy’s judgement. She’s not about to risk her reputation. She has to have seen something in the band that’s worth this. Relax and just go with flow.�
��

  “That’s rich coming from you,” he declared. “You haven’t relaxed since you sat in that seat nearly two hours ago!”

  Lori laughed that beautiful musical laugh of hers and confessed that he was right.

  “I’ll be fine when we get there. It’s just been a while. Almost six months.”

  A couple of hours later, as they emerged from the Lincoln Tunnel into the madness and mayhem of the Manhattan traffic, both of them were on edge. Despite the thousands of miles he had driven over the years, Jake was inexperienced when it came to city centre driving. Calmly Lori directed him up town through the melee of yellow taxi cabs, and eventually, to the underground garage beneath her apartment building. As they had driven through the city, the sheer scale of the place, the buzz and the height of the buildings had blown Jake away, making him feel like a real country boy blown into the big smoke. When he had parked the truck in the space that the garage attendant directed him to, he breathed a sigh of relief. While they were getting their holdalls out of the back, Rich pulled into the garage behind them, with Paul in the passenger seat. He was directed to the space beside Jake’s truck. Rolling the window down, he called out, “Jeez, that traffic is fucking crazy!”

  Lori laughed, “Welcome to New York!”

  “I think I’ll walk everywhere,” muttered Rich, as he climbed out of his truck. “That traffic is insane!”

  Trying not to giggle, Lori led the way through to the elevator that would take them up to the lobby. As they walked through the garage, she spotted her own car sitting in its usual spot waiting for her. She resisted the temptation to point it out to Jake. Once they exited the elevator in the main lobby, Lori was greeted warmly by Charles, the duty concierge for the building.

  “Welcome home, Miss Hyde. Lovely to see you back,” he said with a broad toothy grin. “Do you and your guests need any assistance?”

  “Thanks, Charles, but we’re fine,” answered Lori politely. “I am expecting two more guests shortly. Can you make sure they find their way up?”