Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

“Three day hangovers?” quizzed Lori, with a smile. “You’ve never confessed to those before.”

  Maddy managed a weak laugh, “There’s been a few over the years, darling.”

  “Can I get you anything?” asked Lori, as she moved to sit on the chair beside the bed.

  “No, thanks,” replied Maddy. “Paul was going to bring me back some juice. I asked him to fetch my phone and my laptop too.”

  “I suspect he might accidentally forget those.”

  “He better not,” said Maddy. “I need to call Jason and tell him the truth. The doctor hopes this will settle quickly, but it could go on for weeks apparently. I can’t take any chances with some of the stuff I’m working on. Jason’s going to have to draft in some help here.”

  “Stop even thinking about work,” Lori chastised. “Think about yourself and the baby for now.”

  “It’s all I’ve done all day.”

  “Well, keep doing that,” suggested Lori. “Take a break. Paul can call Jason to explain and you can talk to him when you get out of here.”

  “Perhaps,” Maddy agreed, with a sigh. “It’s funny. At the launch I wasn’t sure I wanted this baby. Something changed last night. I got really sick and lost a little blood. When I saw that, I realised that I really do want this baby. I remember going back through to tell Paul how I felt. Next thing I know, I’m in the back of an ambulance on my way here.”

  “That must’ve been scary,” said Lori softly. “Did you hurt yourself when you collapsed?”

  “I’ve a bruise the size of a dinner plate on my thigh,” her friend confessed, pulling the covers back to show off her large dark purple bruise.

  “Ouch,” sympathised Lori, before playfully adding, “I still win for thigh damage though.”

  “You sure do,” agreed Maddy, remembering the state her friend had been in the first time she’d visited her after the accident. “You never talk about it. How is your leg now?”

  “Still not brilliant some days, but I can cope like this,” said Lori, running her hand over her thigh.

  “Does it still cause you so much pain?”

  Lori shook her head “It’s more of an ache like a bad toothache. It was sore yesterday after standing about so much at the launch party.”

  “Have you come to terms with the scars?”

  “What is this?” laughed Lori, dodging the question. “Twenty questions? I came to see you, not to talk about me.”

  “You never answered me,” stated Maddy, staring at her directly.

  “Not really,” confessed Lori. “They aren’t as angry as they were but they’re still there. An omnipresent reminder.”

  “Good job you never did like short skirts,” Maddy joked, trying to lighten the mood. “Lord knows what I’ll wear when I get fat!”

  “A pregnant Goth,” giggled Lori, trying to visualise her friend with a big, round baby bump. “You’ll have to give up your corsets.”

  “Don’t remind me,” Maddy sighed. “And my spike heels. Will I still be able to wear them?”

  “I have no idea,” admitted Lori. “I certainly won’t be wearing them. I can’t wear heels anymore.”

  “Oh, I forgot!” gasped Maddy. “Sorry.”

  When the boys returned a few minutes later, the girls were still giggling about Gothic maternity clothes. Jake passed Lori her coffee cup, then hugged Maddy, “You ok, boss?”

  “I’ve been better,” she admitted. “And I might not be the boss for much longer. Depends what Jason has to say when he hears the news.”

  “I’ll call him later,” promised Paul, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking her hand. “And you’ll still be the boss.”

  “Too late today. Call him early tomorrow morning. He’s in London so remember the time difference. They’re five hours ahead, honey.”

  “First thing tomorrow,” promised Paul.

  “Oh, I never told you Rich and I’s news,” said Jake, with a grin. “We’ve been granted six weeks leave, but there’s a catch.”

  “What’s the catch?” asked Maddy, as Lori stifled a giggle.

  “We’ve agreed to play a set at the school Christmas social,” confessed Jake grinning.

  “A school dance?” asked Paul, his eyes wide open.

  “Yup. A school dance.”

  The two girls giggled at Paul’s disbelief.

  “Oh, the publicity possibilities are endless,” sighed Maddy. “That’s great that you’ve got the leave though. Gives more flexibility for the tour. Maybe Jason can get you some extra shows.”

  “Maybe,” nodded Jake. “Rich was emailing him. The school need both of us back by December 15th.”

  “When’s the school social?” asked Paul with a look of dread.

  “The Saturday before Christmas. He wants us to do a full set.”

  “Oh the joy!” sighed the drummer. “But, if it gets you guys the time off, I’m in. Might be fun.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door and the arrival of a nurse.

  “Sorry, folks, you’ll need to leave for now. The doctor wants to see Maddison then she needs some rest.”

  “It’s time we were making a move anyway,” said Lori. “I’ll run out to see you tomorrow afternoon. If you need me to bring anything, let me know.”

  “My phone and my laptop,” stated Maddy bluntly.

  “More than my life’s worth,” replied Lori, giving her a hug. “I can do a sketchpad and some colouring pencils?”

  “Harrumph,” muttered Maddy.

  “Take it easy, Maddison,” said Jake, blowing her a kiss.

  As they walked back to Jake’s truck, Lori confessed to him that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Shaking his head, he suggested they stop off in Rehoboth to get some dinner then drop by his apartment to pick up the mail. The traffic was quiet as they headed back into town. Jake proposed they park outside his apartment building, then walk along the boardwalk to find somewhere to eat.

  “I’ve never been to your apartment,” Lori commented, as he pulled up outside the building in Laurel Street.

  “You must have!”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Never.”

  “It’s not much to brag about,” he confessed. “But it was home for a long time. Lot of memories up there. Come on. I’ll show you Casa Power.”

  Caringly, he put an arm around her waist and kept pace with her as she negotiated the steep stairs up to the apartment. It had been a couple of weeks since he had dropped by, so he was unsure how much mail would’ve built up. With a mutter, as the key jammed, he unlocked the door, forcing it over the small mountain of mail.

  “Come on in,” he said, stepping over the letters and flyers.

  Almost hesitantly, Lori entered his tiny hallway. The air was stale and there was an unloved air about the place.

  “Go on into the living room,” said Jake, pointing to one of the three doors. “I’ll be in when I’ve picked this lot up.”

  The small living room was spotlessly clean and sparsely furnished. Jake’s old sloppy couch dominated the room, his stereo and TV sat silent. On the cream walls, there was a variety of photos and framed posters. She smiled as she spotted a college, or perhaps senior high, group photo among a montage in a frame. Dropping the mail on the couch, Jake came up behind her.

  “Want the guided tour?” he asked. “It will take all of thirty seconds.”

  He opened the door beside where she was standing to reveal a bright airy bedroom. The large bed was neatly made up with blue and white checked covers. One wall was lined with bookshelves. Jake excused himself, as he squeezed past her to reach up for some of the books.

  “Lori, can you grab a bag from the bottom of the closet?”

  She slid open the closet door and picked up a small blue sports bag.

  “Will this do?”

  “Perfect. Thanks,” he said, taking the bag from her. “I was talking to Rich and Linsey earlier. She’s not read this series so I said I’d loan them to her.”

 
Noticing there were still clothes in the closet, she asked, “Do you want to bring any of these home?”

  “No, it’s ok,” replied Jake. “They’re mainly old stage gear. I just can’t bear to part with them.”

  “Ok,” said Lori, sliding the door closed.

  “So what do you think so far?” he asked, piling the books into the bag. “Palatial, isn’t it?”

  “Where’s the kitchen?” she asked, then looking round, added, “And the bathroom?”

  “Kitchen’s off the living room. Bathroom’s off the hall. Take a look,” he said. “I’ll be done here in a minute.”

  Carefully, she wandered through the tiniest galley kitchen she had ever been in then found an equally compact bathroom. Both were clinically clean.

  “So how does Casa Power measure up?” he called to her.

  “It’s a perfect apartment for one person,” she answered.

  “There were three of us here at one point a few years ago,” he shouted through. “Just after we formed the band. Rich got kicked out of his place. Paul had been sleeping on his floor for about a month, so they both moved in here with me. It was meant to be only for a week or two.”

  “How long did they stay?” she asked, giggling at the thought of the three musicians crushed into the small apartment.

  “Six months,” replied Jake. “And Paul brought his drum kit!”

  “Tight squeeze?”

  “You could say that,” admitted Jake, still smiling at the memories. “Ah, they were crazy happy days. Paul stayed another six months after Rich moved out.”

  “I always thought it was Grey you were closest to,” Lori commented.

  “Now it is but back then it was Paul. We kind of shared a dark time together and got each other through it,” he explained, a tinge of sadness in his voice. Changing the subject, he asked, “Where do you fancy for dinner, li’l lady?”

  “Anywhere,” declared Lori. “I’m starving.”

  “How about the fish place that’s off the boardwalk before you get to the Turtle?”

  “Perfect,” Lori agreed. “Have you got everything?”

  “Have now,” he replied, stuffing the mail into the sports bag. “Let’s go.”

  As they sat eating their meal a short while later, Lori said, “I have two questions, rock star.”

  “Shoot,” said Jake, with a mouth full of crab cake.

  “Where did you put the drum kit?”

  Laughing, Jake explained that it had been set up under the window in the living room, but, that back then, there had been one less armchair in the room.

  “Second question,” she began a little nervously. “What dark times did you share?”

  “That’s ancient history,” said Jake calmly. For a moment or two, Lori didn’t think he was going to reply, then he continued, “All four of us enjoyed a joint and the odd line of coke back then. For a while Paul and I enjoyed it a bit too much for too long. Plus some other shit too. Pills. Meth. I was a wasted mess for a few months around about the time my mom died. I couldn’t handle her being sick. After her death, I got my act together. Wasn’t easy. I’ve been clean for over four years. No relapses. Paul too, until the Molton gigs. He had a relapse out west for a day or two.”

  “Maddy told me about that,” replied Lori, reaching out to touch his hand. “As you said, ancient history.”

  “You’re not mad at me? Not disappointed in me?” he asked, gazing into her blue eyes.

  Shaking her head, Lori said, “No. Why should I be? It’s in the past. And I’ve experimented too on occasion. Probably around the same time and you can blame Maddy for that. She still dabbles.”

  “I noticed,” said Jake, remembering the after show party in Phoenix. “I’ve seen that shit kill too many people. Seen first-hand how it can destroy families. There’s no room in my life for it anymore. Hasn’t been for a long time. I just wish my mom could’ve seen that I cleaned up my act. I let her down. One of my biggest regrets.”

  “Let’s leave the past where it belongs,” whispered Lori, squeezing his hand, then changing the subject asked, “Is it next weekend you need to be in New York?”

  “Friday night,” replied Jake with a smile, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “I’ve to be in the studio all day Saturday and maybe a few hours on Sunday. Why?”

  “I’ll need to let David know we are coming up to the apartment. I also want to arrange a couple of meetings of my own. I might as well schedule those for while you are in the studio.”

  “I thought we talked about you coming to the studio too?” said Jake, sounding disappointed.

  “I am,” she assured him. “But I still need to do some business while I’m there. One of my meetings is with Weigh Station.”

  “The whole band aren’t going to be there.”

  “Dan will be, and their manager,” she replied. “It’s really the management I need to see, but Dan wants in on the discussion.”

  “Who else are you meeting?”

  “Can’t say. Secrecy clause,” said Lori, with a wink. “And don’t even think about trying to get me to tell you.”

  “As if I would,” laughed Jake, releasing the last of the ghosts from the past. “My last class is before lunch on Friday so we should be able to head off around two.”

  “How about I drive you to school in the morning and pick you up after class?” suggested Lori. “That’ll save a bit of time. If we can get to the city before five, I can meet David before dinner.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he agreed. “And you can fight with the Friday afternoon Manhattan traffic, li’l lady. My nerves couldn’t handle driving through that shit.”

  ♪

  All too soon it was Friday morning and Lori was driving Jake to school. They had packed up the car the night before, after they had visited Maddy in the hospital. The band’s manager was still much the same and, to her great annoyance, the doctor was insisting on keeping her in over the weekend. Her condition was improving gradually but she still couldn’t keep any solid food down. Despite her protests, Paul was refusing to bring her laptop to the hospital, but he had relented and brought her cell phone. This had gone some way towards placating her. As Lori stopped the car outside the school, Jake asked what she was going to do with her morning.

  “I have an appointment in town, but I’ll be back here around one,” she replied evasively. “If I’m going to be late, I’ll call you.”

  “If you can get here for twelve thirty we could have lunch with Rich and Linsey before we head off,” suggested Jake, as he got out of the car.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” promised Lori before adding, “What’s going on with them? Has he asked her out yet?”

  Jake nodded, “I’ll fill you in later.”

  “Have a fun morning!” Lori called, as she pulled away from the kerb.

  It had taken her a few weeks to pluck up the courage to make the appointment at the tattoo parlour. She had forgotten about the butterfly design she had drawn at the start of May until she came across the sketchbook on her desk. After deliberating for a few more days, she had gone into town to see Danny to discuss the design with him. Much to her surprise, he had recognised her and remembered the butterfly she had shown him all those months before. They had chatted for almost an hour about the design and how long it would take to do. The tattoo artist had suggested it would look best inside her wrist. Eventually, she had made the appointment for Friday and, now that she was driving towards it, Lori was nervous. Danny had told her to park around the back of the shop and to bring him a skinny latte from the coffee shop. Having parked the car and bought two coffees, Lori headed towards the small tattoo parlour. The diminutive ink artist was watching out for her and opened the door as she approached, relieving her of the small cardboard cup holder containing the two hot coffees.

  “My sincere apologies, beautiful lady,” he said theatrically. “I had forgotten about your disposition.”

  “I can carry a cane and two cups,” she replied, with a smile. “
Just.”

  The tattoo artist smiled and showed her into the shop. It was empty inside, but Danny said his partner was due in soon.

  “I’ve everything set up,” he continued, sipping his latte. “Which throne would you prefer, princess?”

  Remembering that Jake had chosen the middle one that was the one she opted for. As she sat down, Danny asked, “And how is our budding rock star?”

  “In school this morning then we are heading to New York for the weekend.”

  “Anything special planned?”

  “He’s got some vocals to record on Saturday and I’ve a couple of business meetings. It’ll be mainly work,” she explained quietly.

  “What line of work are you in?”

  “Art,” she replied. “I did the album artwork for Silver Lake and I’ve worked with a few others.”

  “Understatement of the year, princess,” stated Danny bluntly. “Or should I say Mz Hyde?”

  Lori smiled, “Only when I’m working.”

  “I’ve tattooed my fair share of your designs on clients over the last few years. I’m honoured to be inking you.”

  “I’m just any other client and it’s a tiny piece of work for you,” said Lori, flushing with embarrassment.

  “Ah, but once you start, princess,” he teased with a wicked grin. “You’ll be back for more.”

  “Let’s see how this goes first,” she giggled nervously. “I decided on the left wrist by the way.”

  “Your wish is my command,” he replied, as he lifted the first antiseptic swab from the tray. “Sit back and relax. Don’t flinch. If you need me to stop, say. If it’s too uncomfortable, we can take a break. And we’re agreed it’s to be on the inner left wrist and no more than an inch and a half by two inches?”

  Lori nodded, took a large mouthful of her coffee, then settled back to try to relax. As she drank the rest of her coffee, Danny worked swiftly to draw the outline of her butterfly from the transfer. Once he was convinced she was completely satisfied with the position and dimensions, he began to ink it in. Much to her relief, it was less painful than she had anticipated, despite the delicacy of the skin in the area. When the outlining was complete, Danny asked if she needed a break for a minute or two.