Chapter 45
Melody
I f you’d told me that I’d risk my life more than once for the man I loved, I’d have said that you’d be on mushrooms. But I’d call myself a liar, seeing how my life had unfolded.
All I could remember was the pain in Hound’s eyes as he cradled me, trying to stop the bleeding. All I knew was that I tried. I tried to hang on to everything, buy him time to end it all. Taking the knife through my side was not a part of my plan, but when push came to shove, it was the only chance I had.
I knew in the end someone’s blood was going to be spilled, I just made the first move. Maybe it cost me more than I imagined but I did it. And most likely would do it again, minus being kidnapped and drugged.
I remembered my “almost” declaration of my love for him, almost singing to him, but after that, my mind went blank.
I never saw a light, or the ghost of Aria waiting for me. I dreamed. My mind played versions of Hound and me in our home, in our bed, in his arms. Dreams of a little one chasing after Hound and breaking his heart when they gravitated toward a drum kit. Dreams of laughter of Otis and B.B being some of the best uncles. Stray and Hank making sure I could still hit hard.
But, one that was always on repeat, was me and my guitar on that stage, and seeing Hound Dog in the audience just smiling, in full awe and wonder.
I didn’t know if they were visions or wishes of the heart. Regardless of what they were, they were happy ones, ones that you never wanted to let go or have someone take away from you.
I never had a blood family after Aria passed, never rekindled a relationship with my father. What I did find was a found family, one I never was looking for or thought I desired. I had Sadie and that was all.
Hound Dog was my family.
The Saints were my family.
I didn’t want to lose them when I just got them.
The sounds of machines beeping steadily stirred me, my eyes fluttered to the dim lights. Everything was bright and white, easily confused with the “bright light” everyone talks about. My head turned to find a window or something to focus on.
Windows showed the cascade of darkness. Why did everything hurt? I thought I just nicked my side, but it felt like my body was made of stone and every movement I had was harder than the last.
How long was I out? What happened?
A million thoughts swarmed in my head.
“Melody,” a sweet voice called.
Sadie .
I tried to find my voice, but no words came out. A vision of dark hair and curves came into view. Sadie’s blurred face twisted in overwhelming emotions. She held back a sob. I tried to move my hand to reach out to her.
“Sweet girl,” another voice echoed. A voice that was like a warm hug.
Mama Mary .
“O..kay,” I croaked out.
“Yes, my dear, everything is okay,” Mama Mary comforted me.
“Sa..” I tried to call my friend.
“It’s okay, don’t try to speak.” Sadie sobbed.
Jesus, did people think I wasn’t going to make it? It wasn’t that bad of a cut. Not like Saber. I hoped that the blade had melted into his chest. A bit dramatic, or maybe that was the pain medicine that I hoped my I.V was hooked up to.
I tried to clear my throat, Mama Mary came to my side again with some water. The cool liquid slides down my throat, it feels weird.
Something was missing, more like someone.
My eyes darted around the room. Mary Mama laughed, placing the cup back on the side table. “Don’t worry, I had to send him home briefly, the boy was starting to smell. I mean, it didn’t help that he looked rough to begin with.”
He was here, he was okay. At least that was what I thought.
Sadie pushed a piece of my curls behind my ear. “You can’t do that to me again,” she warned. I cocked my head, not understanding. Like I had a choice in the matter. She shook her head, “You can’t leave me lonely."
“Now you’re sounding like him,” I croaked out.
“How?”
“Possessive.” I chuckled.
“Seriously, Melody. You can’t risk your life anymore. You have too many people that love you and need you.”
“Like you?”
“Like me,” she said, taking my hand, squeezing it tight.
“She’s not wrong. I mean you should have seen the club taking up the entire waiting room. Shooter even had heart balloons and Fender was holding a stuffed animal. Your little nurse, Amelia, had to tell them to leave and make room for the other families.” Mary Mama laughed, getting comfortable in the lounger.
“How did you two?” I started, then coughed. Why was it so damn hard to talk?
But Sadie finished, “How are we in the room and not the hulking caveman?”
I nodded.
“We said we were family,” Sadie said without missing a beat. She raised her hand. “Sister.”
“Mother,” Mary acknowledged.
Found family. A love that fills the holes in your heart from the hurt from the past. There was a warmth in my heart.
They would do that for me, be there for me whenever I needed someone the most, and without the expectation of it.
I couldn’t hold back my tears, but this time they were tears of happiness.
“When is he..” I started.
Mary finished. “Coming back? As soon as he looks like a human being. As for the others, B.B told them to rest for a while. Everyone needed it.”
“How…” I started to ask, but Sadie chimed in, reading my mind, “How long have you been out? Almost two days.”
“And we almost lost you on the table,” another bright voice chimed in. A small, blonde with a pixie cut and a full arm sleeve of tattoos came to the computer, logged into, then grabbed the stethoscope that draped from the IV pole.
Her badge read “Amelia” and I had to hold back laughter imagining this woman telling a bunch of bikers to leave the hospital. I doubted there was a lot of sugar in her voice.
“You scared off my bikers,” I said, my voice still raspy.
“Scared is an extreme way of putting it.” She giggled.
“Shooter tried to tell her off, and she stood her ground, had that “go ahead and try me, buddy. I’ll kick your ass” look.” Mama Mary explained.
Amelia waved off Mary as she took my vitals; the cold metal made me shiver.
While the ambience was nice to wake up to, I wanted one person holding me right then.
“That man of yours, though. Girl, better hold on to him. I mean what a fiancé.” Amelia gave me a look of approval, pursing her lips.
Did she say fiancé?
“He’s not…” I tried to say, but she cut me off. She pressed a finger to her lips like she knew it was a lie.
When she finished, she crossed her arms, swaying her hips. “So, how about I let your medical team know you’re awake and we can do something about that catheter. Cause girl, there’s nothing sexy about having that in and reuniting with your man.”
I nodded.
Then a flush of embarrassment rushed to me. I didn’t think about that, nor felt it. Sadie laughed seeing my face. Her laughter died down when she said, “Don’t worry we’ll give you a sponge bath before he comes rolling in.”
Within hours, after feeling less like a human experiment, and a little more pain medication hitting my system and a sponge bath, I felt… I guess I felt better.
But it wasn’t long before heavy footsteps came running in when Mama Mary went to go find Hound and tell him the news. If the man had superpowers, it would be speed. Sadie rolled her lips, snickering as she scurried out. Mama Mary followed behind her, closing the door.
Hound’s blue eyes softened as he practically got down on his knees. Here I thought I was the dramatic one in our relationship.
“Baby, get up. Look, I'm fine. I’m alive. You saved me.” I coaxed him to get up because he was still too far away from me.
I didn’t know whether it was disbelief or sadness or awestruck, but he wouldn’t stop staring at me.
“You can’t do that again,” he softly said.
I rolled my eyes. “Sadie already beat you to the punch.”
He didn’t move, and if I wasn’t in a lot of pain, I would have gotten up and held that man until he believed that everything was real.
“You can’t leave me,” he said.
“Again. Sadie already beat you to it.” I laughed.
Then Hound did the only thing he could think of, he got off his knees, took two big strides, and cradled my face in his hands. “I said, never leave me again.” He enunciated the words. And when he finished, he pressed a tender kiss on my lips, taking in all he could for the moment we had. There was a need in his kiss, like he didn’t want it to end.
To say he stole my breath was an understatement, he breathed something more into me.
And when he pulled away, it took everything in me not to pull him back. “Can I tell you something, baby?”
“Anything.” He sat close on the bed.
“You kept me from telling you something important,” I said sternly, but then playfully caressed his beard. I tugged on it, then told him the words that I had I saved in my heart. “I love you.”
One of his hands grabbed the back of my head, pulling me closer to his mouth that was spread in a sappy-looking smile. “Say that again?”
“What, that you kept me from telling you?” I grinned.
“Brat.”
“Yours though.”
“Say it again.”
“I. Love. You,” I said, peppering a kiss to him at every word.
“You want to know why I kept you from telling me that?”
“Because you wanted to be the first one?”
He shook his head. “Because I wanted to hear them because you were living for me. I wanted to know that you would fight to survive just to tell me you love me because you would be coming back home with me. Never leaving me to worry if I earned your love, let alone deserve it. Everything from the beginning was about your timing, your wants.”
The more he spoke, the more I realized that it had been there all along. And yet I still wanted to hear him say it because I knew for a while he was holding back, but never knew why.
“So you wanted me to say it,” I teased him.
“So that in return I could say that I loved you the moment you walked on that stage. I loved you when you started to make it feel like home again. I loved you when you walked back into my life from all those years ago,” he said as I pulled him into my arms. I ignored all the pain, I just wanted to feel him close.