Sebastian #3
Last night was tough, I had my ‘see ya later’ with Kai and it was heartbreaking.
It’s not like I’ll never see him again. I’ll see him when I come home for Christmas, if I decide to make the trip back.
I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to leave a second time. But that’s a decision for another day.
Worries about leaving race through my head and tears fill my eyes as I watch the city fly by from the train headed to Pontiac.
I have to tell Dax what happened to Kai.
He’s expecting us both to show up. He’s expecting to be saying goodbye to us both.
Instead I have to tell him that Kai is lying in a hospital bed with his future up in the air.
‘Why did I agree to this?’ I think, shaking my head.
Kai had talked to him at least once this week, but he didn’t want to tell him over the phone.
Since he obviously couldn’t make the trip, I, of course, drew the short straw on being the bearer of bad news.
I’m hoping that they figure out who hit him, but with thousands of unsolved hit and runs on the Southside of Chicago, it’s safe to say, they may never figure it out.
Standing by the table in the visitation room, I see Maddox swagger in. His steps falter and confusion fills his face when he sees that I’m alone. Shrugging it off, he pulls me into his arms and my resolve is threatened.
‘Don’t cry yet, Mel. Keep it together,’ I think to myself as I hug him tight.
“Where’s Kai? You guys are supposed to be travelin’ together,” he asks, concern leeching into his tone as we sit down.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath, here goes nothing. I grab his hand, “Dax, Kai’s not coming today. And he won’t be leavin’ for a while, either. Somethin’ happened…” Dax interrupts me before I can finish explaining.
“Fuck!” Dax says, sitting back in his chair, irritation spreading across his face as his knee bounces.
“That little shit…I’m gonna…oh, I knew it!
I knew he would back out so he could be here for me.
FUCK! I am gonna wring his scrawny neck when…
” I squeeze his hand hard to stop his rant and meeting his eyes I know the sadness is showing in my eyes.
“Maddox! Listen to me carefully. It’s not what you think and I hate that you have to find out this way.
It was not his choice to not go. There was an accident,” I explain, toying with my bottom lip.
I pinch it between my teeth as I watch the agitation fade to something else that looks like apprehension, but he’s leaning in.
“Mel, what’s goin’ on? I know he’s at least okay to talk, havin’ talked to him a few times this week. So, what is it?” he pleads with me to just spit it out.
‘Thank God Zak acted fast after learning about the accident from Tomas and Grigory and getting him a replacement phone quickly for the broken one,’ I think as I clasp my hands in front of my voice and center myself. I just can’t get the words out, but I have to.
“There was an accident,” I start.
The anger is back as Dax shifts again in his seat. I also notice he is looking around the room, and a guard sends him a questioning look. Dax nods, ‘well this is a strange turn of events,’ I think, glancing over and back as I ask, “Who’s that?”
Dax leans forward and in a low growl, "Melody Eliza, do not change the subject. Explain. NOW!”
I clench my hands tightly, my nails digging into my palms. Letting the anger at being talked to like that get me through this, ‘I didn’t do this. So he can’t talk to me like that,’ I think as I glare at him, “Knock that shit off, I’m gonna tell you, but don’t talk to me like that.”
Dax puts his hands up in surrender, placating as he says, “I’m sorry, Mel. But please! I’m dyin’ over here. What happened?”
I twirl the end of my hair and look anywhere but at him as I continue.
“When Kai was on the way home from seein’ you last week, he was crossing the road after getting off the L and was hit by a car.
From what they gathered, the car gunned for him.
No one knows who was drivin’,” I say, quick, like ripping off a bandaid. As I finish, I hear his breath catch.
Maddox
‘What the ever lovin’ fuck? He’s lyin’ in a hospital bed and I can’t get anywhere near him.
Zak shoulda…why didn’t Kai say somethin’.
Kitten. Fuck, fuck, FUCK! Who? Why? Was this Mack’s way of hittin’ me one more time?
No, Zak woulda handled that already. FUCK…
’ I feel a hand on mine, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts.
I glance up at her, my eyes wet but I can’t let the tears fall.
Not here, not now. I’ll save that for later, after I talk to Kitten, when I’m alone in my cell.
“Why didn’t he tell me over the phone? How bad is it?
Mel, don’t leave anything out. I need to know everything,” I ask, watching her squirm.
“From what we were told, as soon as he stepped off the sidewalk the car gunned for him. Running the light, never slowing down after hitting him. It wasn’t one of Mack’s cars, I made sure the detectives checked,” she begins.
At least we’re on the same page with Mack being a possibility. I squeeze her hand and reassure her, “Okay, how’s he doin’?”
Mel swallowed, “Um, well he’s still recoverin’ from a concussion, he had his spleen removed. Dax, I-I-I don’t know how to tell you the rest. It’s bad.”
Bracing myself, I mumble, “Melody, keep goin’.
I need to know. I can’t be there for him if I don’t.
” I watch her wipe her eyes. In my peripheral I see Vanya and Cas whispering off to the side.
‘When did he get here? Does Zak know somethin’ new?
’ I wonder. But before I can focus on their body language, Melody keeps talking.
“He had a torn ACL and fractured knee cap. He’ll be in recovery for at least nine months. He’s still in the hospital. He’ll probably be out next week, but gettin’ around is gonna be hell on him for a while. He’s takin’ it semi-well or at least hidin’ it and pretending to be okay-ish.”
Pushing the heels of my hands in to my eyes, I tug at my hair, “Fuck me, I’ll get with someone to get a message to him,” I say, rubbing my hands over my face. I look over and see Anton walking in to see Vanya, he nods slightly when we make eye contact.
I return the gesture and Mel finally breaks and asks the question that has clearly been bugging her since we sat down. “What the fuck is it that you’re starin’ at?”
I rub the center of my forehead, and explain, “Well, bein’ in here, I’m startin’ to piece things together that we’ve wondered about for years.” Leaning in, I drop my voice to a whisper, “I may be able to end Mack’s reign of terror. I'm just not sure how it all fits together just yet.”
Mel sits back and stares at me wide eyed, “You didn’t think to lead with that?”
“You looked like you had a lot to say, and, well, look at that, ya did,” I say with a knowing look.
“Now, I haven’t figured out a lot yet, but I do know that Vanya…
don’t look…over there runs things in here.
Zak is his son and runs the outside and Mack doesn’t actually have the pull he pretends to.
” I sit back, “That’s all I’ve figured out so far,” I tell her.
Eyeing the clock, I see that it’s almost time for her to go and think, ‘Good. I need time to process this.’
Melody
I look at the clock, my knee bouncing with anxiety. It’s time and I don’t know how to do this. Dax looks at me and squeezes my hand as he says, “Mel, you gotta do this. You’re gonna do amazin’.”
“But, what about you and Kai? Dani is preg…” I snap my mouth shut, damn it, no one is supposed to know that while she figures out what she wants to do about it.
“Dani’s pregnant?” Dax asks, “I’ll be damned, better her than you,” he says playfully with a wink.
“Dax, she’s scared and needs to know someone’s gonna be there for her,” I snap at him, he puts his hands up in surrender.
“I know, I know. Mladshaya sestra, look at me,” he says, softly, squeezing my hand..
“What, starshiy brat?” I huff.
“Ya gotta go. I’m stuck here for at least a year and a half, Kai’s not gonna be able to help you. Seb has never been any help with Mack,” I interrupt him here.
“Really, not gonna be any help since I broke up with him for good the night of the accident,” I explain before letting him continue.
“More reason to go, Sis. It’s not forever, there’s holidays, phone calls and letters,” he says, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “When it’s safe, we’ll bring you back if that’s what you want.” Dax pauses, looks around and leans in close, motioning me to join him. In a hushed voice he continues.
“But, you need to understand something, Kai’s mine to worry about, okay? Mine. I’ll be in touch with Zak and find out how the fuck this happened. I need you outta here and so far away Mack can’t reach you. I need this to happen, I need you to go.”
“Okay, I’ll go. But I’m trustin’ you to keep me updated on everything,” I finally say, before one more glance at the clock, “Fuck I really gotta go.” As we stand, he grabs me in a bear hug, kissing the side of my head.
Stepping away, he makes me promise to let Kai know when I get there so they know I made it, and to write. “I’ll drop some money on your books so you can call me if you need me,” I say as I turn to leave.
Walking away, I feel lighter knowing I have his blessing leaving Kai.
I know that he’s gonna find out what happened and who did it.
Knowing I’m gonna be kept in the loop makes this next step easier.
As I board the train heading for New York, I watch the city fly by, and as we leave the city limits, I know that even if this chapter of my life is closing, theirs is just beginning.
Kai