by Willow, Jo
We found them at the back of an ambulance, Dorothy with an oxygen mask over her face, glaring at her husband. This lasted all of fifteen minutes before she took it off and handed it back to the paramedic.
“Look, I’m fine! We got out faster than anyone! I don’t even smell like smoke. Smell me.”
Deacon placed his hand on her abdomen and looked defeated.
“Please. For me. Just let me take you to the hospital to get checked out. It won’t take long and I’ll feel better. Please Dorothy. Just do this for me. Please.”
She patted his hand and looked at Ayla and me.
“If I go, we all go. Safety in numbers, remember? I don’t know what happened, but if Tony was behind it, he doesn’t need to find any of us alone and drunk. Agreed?”
Deacon moved to Anton and jerked him to the side, his date wandering off in the crowd.
“Oh great. Now it’ll take forever to find her. What’s wrong with you Deacon?”
Deacon’s voice was practically a growl and he was barely restrained.
“My wife and baby were involved in firebombing so excuse me all to hell if I’m less than sympathetic to your plight at the moment Anton. You, are going with the four of us to the hospital. Dorothy won’t go unless all of us go, so guess what? We’re going.”
“What if I don’t wanna go?”
Deacon shoved him towards the parking lot and I fell into step on Anton’s other side.
“I don’t recall that being an option. Move it.”
The tone of his voice must have been warning enough because Anton never said another word. Once we were all inside the SUV, the drive to the hospital was uneventful. I wish I could say the same about the reset of the night.
Three hours, several blood tests, an EKG, and a sonogram later, Deacon was satisfied that Dorothy was indeed alive and well. By that time, all of us were exhausted and at the end of our last good nerve. Imagine how Anton felt when Deacon pulled into the parking garage of Melody’s building.
He was still ranting when we walked into her condo, oblivious to anyone that might be listening.
The television was on, the volume low, but there were no signs of Melody. I could tell by stealing a glance at Ayla that I wasn’t the only one concerned. Leaving her alone under the best conditions was a marginal bet. Leaving her alone while we were all preoccupied miles away, was like leaving a baby chick under the watchful eye of an alligator. The gator was out there somewhere, the chick was oblivious to it’s peril.
Anton continued to make a scene, haranguing Deacon about the absurdity of having to include Melody in discussions we may, or may not, be having this evening. Deacon set him straight just as Melody’s head popped up from her reclining position on the sofa. No one saw her until the damage was done. I’d like to think my brother was embarrassed, but we are talking about Anton here.
Ayla and Dorothy went to her side immediately and she looked at me before issuing the order to make coffee. I went to the kitchen, grateful for something to do that I had reasonable skill at. Dealing with relationships, failed or otherwise, was not my strong point.
Once the coffee was served and consumed, negotiations began. I use the term loosely because Deacon was involved. However, I do have to give Melody credit. Once it was explained that Austin would be busy repairing the damage to his bar, she realized the danger of her current living situation. Tony had stepped up his game and proved that no one was safe. Her current hobbled condition also made the argument complete. She couldn’t run away if she had to. The decision was made. She and Austin would live with Ayla and myself, Anton would continue living at Dorothy and Deacons.
Something interesting to note. Anton didn’t take it well. I watched him. He was fine until it was decided that Austin would be living in the same space as Melody. I saw his jaw clench and I tried my best to hide my smile. Of course Austin would be living there, he was Ayla’s brother. Her comfort and well being was my primary concern. She’d feel better if her brother was near, so the decision was final. The added bonus of having my brother’s nose rubbed in his relationship with Melody, was the icing on the cupcake.
It wasn’t until weeks later that it dawned on me that this new arrangement was yet another impediment to my frustrating relationship with Ayla. You may think that us having our own bedroom would give us all the privacy we needed, but tell that to a couple with a new baby and see what they say. It seemed that there would never be a “right time” for this thing to take flight.
Things went crazy after that. Insane busy crazy, and we’re almost up to date. We were well past Christmas and New Year and staring down Valentine’s Day with a vengeance. Ayla still wasn’t wearing a ring, but we’d yet to return to my parent’s house either. No one else said a word or even seemed to notice and for that, I was grateful. I seem to point out my gratitude quite a bit, but understand something: from the moment I met Ayla, I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants. Nothing about this relationship is comfortable and easy for me. Every breath I take in her presence seems foreign and verging on uncomfortable.
Ayla makes my skin feel tight. Although she’ll willingly submit to me, I think that’s more of a trust issue. She trusts me implicitly. As a matter of fact, I’d be willing to bet that she trusts me more than anyone else in her life, Austin included. Why do I think that? She still hasn’t said a word to Austin about our pseudo-possibly-real engagement. I haven’t pressed it and no one else has mentioned it either. It’s like it fell off the radar once we left the farm over Christmas. I’ve come to think that everyone’s waiting on me. The ring will be the catalyst and perhaps that’s why I haven’t picked it up yet.
Yes, that’s a loaded statement. I’ve designed it and had it made. It’s sitting in the jeweler’s vault, bought and paid for. Waiting. For me. But I’m having an issue or two.
She willingly submits, but she never defers.
Ayla is her own woman and will break before she’ll bend.
I can’t decide if that bothers me or not, and that hesitation is becoming an issue.
So I wait and I watch and I wonder who will change first.
Then I wonder if that’s a good thing. Because in the end, should you have to change for someone you love in order to keep that love?
I fell in love with the stubborn, independent woman that’s not afraid to take me down a peg and call me a weiner. How can I break that spirit and say I’m satisfied? But if I don’t, who’s ultimately in control here?
Please go back to the beginning and remember the ongoing theme to every incident you’ve read about so far. I have to have control in my life. My mind goes chaotic without it. Without control, I’m nothing. I’m someone that not even I enjoy being around.
So yeah. I’d say there’s an issue or two to overcome before she wears the weight of my world on her finger, wouldn’t you?
Chapter Seven
Before I go any further, I know I’ve revealed some things that are probably new to you, as well as rehashing some things as I lived them. There are more reveals to come, but I feel the need to explain why you’re just hearing about it all now.
Some things were mine to tell and it’s that simple. The “engagement” is a fine example. I think no one mentioned it, because no one took it seriously except my folks. And when I say no one, I mean no one. I know I didn’t feel it and I don’t think I’m out of line by telling you that I don’t believe that Ayla felt it either. We weren’t your average engaged couple by any stretch of the imagination. A prime example of this, is a conversation we had one evening after everyone went to bed. We were sitting in the living room, enjoying a glass of wine, when I turned to her in a moment of insecurity.
"Is this a relationship?"
She looked at me and I could tell that her smart mouth was tempted to blurt out some witty reply and I waited for the eye-roll, but it never came. Instead, she appeared to consider my question carefully.
"It seems I've spent the last several months being passive aggressive. I bend to your will
long enough to snag your interest, then we both realize what's going on and we run back to our friends denying there's anything serious between us, only to find ourselves together again when everything and everyone around us falls apart. Is that a relationship?"
Realization hit me and I raked my hands down my face as I watched her watching me.
"Holy shit Ayla. We're in High School."
We both laughed, but it was forced and revolved around truth. We’d ventured into deeper water and in this particular ocean, neither of us knew how to swim. We backed off and changed topics quickly. We’d tested the water however, and it hadn’t taken either of us under. I can’t speak for her, but for me, it gave me hope. It would be complicated and tortuous, but I had to believe that it would be worth it. Because as much as I knew and accepted about myself, I had to accept the next bit as well. I loved her. There was no going back for me. She was “the one”. The hope I just spoke of? That hope was that she felt the same. It would be the only thing that got us through the rest of it.
The next test came faster than any of us thought it would.
Melody is a test in and of herself. If any of the Sloans were going to end up with her, I thank the heavens above that it was Anton. If it had been me, I’d of locked her down and killed her spirit. Deacon would have just killed her period. But Anton, he understood her. He was as unrestrainable as Melody so he tried his best to let her be herself. He tried, but we all watched him struggle with it. If he berated her for it, he’d have to look too closely within himself because they were cut from the same cloth. He wasn’t prepared to do that just yet. Or so we thought.
The next two events happened very close together, but I don’t think they were related, it just fell that way. Once they took place, everything else fell like dominoes in a strong wind. There was no stopping it, predicting it, or walking away from it. Sometimes, shit happens. It happens more often when Melody or Anton is involved, true. It doesn’t make it any more pleasant.
Melody waited until we were all settled into our lives. Then she decided that she couldn’t conduct business from my place and she was tired of being away from home. If the truth were told, I think she was tired of conducting her life around a ghost that no one seemed able to catch. Whatever the reason, she finally decided that she’d had enough and moved back home.
That went over about as well as you’d expect. It did have one consequence worth noting. Anton finally got off his ass and popped the question. It took all of us by surprise, but none of us were as surprised as Melody. It wasn’t until later that I started wondering if he’d only done it so that she wouldn’t think twice about letting him move in with her. Anton is certainly a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy, but marriage? I couldn’t help but question his sincerity in proposing. He never discussed with either Deacon or myself (he discusses every major decision with one of us) and it came out of the blue. It had the desired effect. The next day, he moved in with Melody.
That’s when the first domino fell. Melody was now sporting a walking cast and she had her confidence back. She felt capable of taking on the world. So she did.
When we got the call, my blood went cold. She’d been found naked in a park, half frozen, and battered almost beyond recognition. When the full story came to light in the hospital an hour later, I didn’t know whether to take Anton and Deacon and go hunt the bastard down myself, or laugh hysterically at the situation.
Melody had Tony’s phone number. That was shocking enough, but that wasn’t the kicker. She’d arranged a meeting with him. Long story short, he got the drop on her. He handcuffed her to his bed and although I don’t have the particulars, I know she was terrified. In the course of events, he dangled his participle in her face and she took a bite. A significant bite. A bite that left her unconscious and fighting for her life with a mouth full of blood. Tony never sought legal medical attention. Illegal? Who knew. I have to believe, from a male standpoint, that there was significant damage to him as well as to her.
Here’s the part that she and I will take to our graves.
While she was in the hospital, I snuck in one night after everyone else had gone home to sleep. She was out of the woods and they’d finally convinced Anton to get decent sleep and a shower. Melody was alone.
I sat down beside her bed and took her hand. She woke slowly and I was impressed that she wasn’t surprised to see me. We stared at one another for a few long moments before she spoke.
“Hey Teddy. Did you come to rip me a new one too?”
“Not me Jaws. I figure Anton and Chase have probably taken care of that and you’ve kicked your own ass for the things they failed to mention. How are you feeling?”
She closed her eyes and swallowed before she answered.
“Pretty much like hammered shit, but I’ll survive. Tony still M.I.A.?”
“Yep. Although I imagine he’s feeling worse than you in some ways. I’d be willing to bet you won’t be getting a Hallmark message from him anytime soon.”
She gave a stifled laugh and squeezed my hand.
“It’s good to see you Pierce. How’s Ayla?”
“Scared to death, but I’ve got her. Don’t worry. When are you going to stop doing this shit Mel’? We’re all dreading the day you’re released because every time we leave you alone for ten minutes, it gets progressively worse.”
She looked me dead in the eye and I knew we’d reached a new level in our friendship.
“I’m sorry I worried you. You know that I love you and Deacon like brothers and I’d never intentionally do anything to cause either one of you a moment of grief. You mean the world to me Pierce. I get stupid sometimes and when I combine that with cocky, the cocktail is lethal. I’m sorry.”
I kissed her hand and leaned in closer.
“I love you Melody. Every bit as much as I love Dorothy, and I’d walk on fire for that woman. It’s because of that love that I have to tell you that I don’t know how much more Anton can take. He’s not equipped to handle stuff like this or a woman like you. You have to ease up on him. Start taking him into consideration once in awhile. Let us handle Tony. Please Melody. For all our sakes. Dorothy is our soul, but you’re our heart. If something happened to our feisty little sister, I think it would kill us as a family. Promise me you’ve learned your lesson.”
I watched her tears fall but I couldn’t back down. Not when it came to her safety. I’d lock her up if I had to, but I prayed it wouldn’t come to that.
“I promise. I’ll never do anything this stupid again. The things he did to me Pierce... the things he said...”
Her sobs came freely then and I knew without being told, that it was the first time she’d broken down. She was good at keeping a brave face in front of the others, but she felt safe with me. So I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry.
Then she slowly began to tell me her story and I began to shake with rage. I thought I had a reason to hate the man for all of the things that he did to Ayla. But I’d kill him with my bare hands for killing the fire in Melody. With enough love, time, and patience, we could restore Ayla’s faith. I was doing it every day. The woman I held in my arms was terrified and broken. I wasn’t sure we’d ever get her back. No one, not her parents, not Anton, no one, had ever laid a finger on her in anger. This waste of breathing space had stolen her security. He’d pay for that if it took every dime and minute of time I had left.
I let her talk until she was talked out while I held and rocked her. When I felt her relax and begin to slip into sleep, I eased her back and tucked her in. She knew I’d never tell a soul about anything she’d revealed in confidence. Like I said, some stories aren’t mine to tell.
The next domino fell with a wobble. It still took out all of the others, but it wobbled just the same.
On the day she was released, Anton took her home. I have to admit, he was the doting “husband” while she was in the hospital. He held onto that lie with the kind of grip that a three year old has on an Elmo doll. In those days he reminded me so
much of Deacon, it was shocking. Gone was the devil may care attitude and in its place was a focus so intimidating, even the doctors avoided him. His focus was Melody, her care, and her recovery. Nothing else mattered and he never took “no” for an answer. It was impressive. Then he took her home.
I wasn’t there for the fight, but Chase was. He’s a lot like me and I like him. He wouldn’t reveal any of the particulars, but what he did reveal was backed up by Deacon. Anton had snapped what amounted to a prisoner’s tracking device on Mel’s ankle. He had decided that if he couldn’t trust her, he’d track her himself. There would be no more sneaking out or inability to get in touch with her. He could find her in less than a minute now. And while it undoubtedly gave him peace of mind, it did nothing for Melody’s when she woke up to find herself tethered to a monitoring system. They fought, Anton shut down, and he walked away. He was finished and done.
Ayla and I had heated discussions about this for days. She was appalled and kept referring to Anton’s actions as “chipping” her like a dog. I saw both sides. Were his actions extreme? Hell yes. Did she have it coming? Again, hell yes. I’m sorry, I know that sounds sexist, but you weren’t living the nightmare we’d been living for several months. Melody up to this point, had been the target of every attack. We had no reason to believe that he was a “forgive and forget” kind of guy - especially after the latest run in. There was no telling what he’d be willing to do in retaliation. I’m sorry, but I had to stand with Anton on this one. Ayla was livid.
This is where it gets sketchy. Austin had moved out of our condo and we had assumed he’d moved back into Melody’s. Sean and Ayla went to work everyday as far as I knew. Anton never said a word about Melody and would leave the room if she were mentioned. He was surly and difficult at best. Deacon and I worked around him. Dorothy was nesting and setting up the baby’s room, assuming that we had Melody covered.