Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1)

by McCallum, Coral

  Trying not to limp, Jake ran out onto the stage as the stadium erupted around him.

  “Lover’s Child, ladies and gentlemen,” screamed Tori.

  The performance was over in a blur. Jake remembered all the lyrics and with some encouragement from Tori, took the lead during the middle verse. As their duet came to an end, the female rock goddess commanded, “Let’s hear it for the beautiful and talented Jake Power!”

  His vocal battle with Tori was declared a resounding triumph, judging by the cheers from the crowd. Having taken an overly theatrical bow, Jake bounded off stage. His only regret about the whole experience was that Lori hadn’t been there to share in his moment of glory. Maddy was the first person to greet him as he came backstage.

  “Fantastic!” she squealed hugging him tightly. “You were awesome out there.”

  “Thanks,” gasped Jake. “I need some water. My throat’s killing me.”

  “I’m not surprised,” commented Silver Lake’s manager. “I hope you don’t mind. I recorded that on my phone. I was going to mail it to Lori.”

  “Send it to me too,” said Jake, accepting a bottle of water from one of the backstage personnel. “That was an incredible experience.”

  “I will,” promised Maddy. “Now grab a quick shower before we go out to celebrate. The guys are waiting for you.”

  “We’re not partying with Molton are we?”

  “No. I’ve booked out a restaurant for a late private dinner,” she assured him with a smile. “Now go and get cleaned up!”

  ♪

  As she sat on the porch, Lori listened to the cicadas singing in the trees over by the lake. She had lit a few citronella lanterns to keep the mosquitoes away and their flickering light was comforting. It had been a long day and she was worn out trying to keep Becky entertained. From the moment she had got out of bed that morning the little girl had been asking for her daddy. To keep her mind off the subject, Lori had taken her back down to the beach, had tried to teach her how to paint, watched two Disney movies and, finally, had lit the BBQ just so they could make smores. Now that the guys were due back at any moment, the little girl was curled up fast asleep on the couch hugging her doll. Lori had put the fleecy blanket over her and come outside to wait. She hadn’t spoken to Jake all day, which worried her slightly, but he had sent a few text messages. The last one, a couple of hours ago said, “Landed. In baggage hall, Home soon. J x”

  The two painkillers she had taken were starting to take effect and she bent and stretched her leg a few times to ease out her tired muscles. Almost as soon as she had sat on the sand earlier with Becky, she had known it was a bad idea, but the little girl had been so insistent that she play with her that she hadn’t been able to resist. Now she was wishing that she had said “no” a little more firmly. Gently, she rocked back and forward on the old creaking chair. She was just beginning to doze off when headlights lit up the dark road and a car pulled into the driveway. As the back door opened, Lori was already down the front steps and almost at the car. A very weary Jake tumbled out and, with a huge relieved smile, wrapped his arms round her and held her tight. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the very essence of her. Behind them, Grey and the driver were lifting out Jake’s bags and piling them up in the driveway.

  “Welcome home, rock star,” said Lori, as she began to kiss Jake.

  “Christ, I’ve missed you,” he whispered hoarsely.

  “Likewise,” said Lori, smiling between kisses.

  “Come on, guys,” called out Grey. “Save that for when I’ve gone home!”

  “Sorry, Grey,” giggled Lori, moving to stand beside Jake, his arm securely around her waist. “Are you coming in for a while?”

  “No,” said Grey shaking his head. “I’ll scoop Becky up and this guy’s promised to drop us both home.”

  “She’s asleep in the sunroom,” explained Lori. “But her bags are sitting in the hallway. She’s been packed and ready to go since first thing this morning. I think she missed you.”

  “You go get Becky,” croaked Jake “And I’ll get her things.”

  For the first time, Lori noticed that Jake had lost his voice. The extra huskiness made him sound even sexier than usual, but it sent a ripple of concern through her.

  A few minutes later, the sedan reversed out of the driveway, leaving Jake and Lori alone in the dark. He pulled her into his arms again and kissed her gently but passionately, then just hugged her tight for a few moments.

  “Let’s get your stuff inside,” suggested Lori softly. “Do you want a drink?”

  “Just water,” he whispered hoarsely, rubbing at his throat.

  “Ok,” she said, kissing his cheek. “I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re ready.”

  While Jake took his luggage down to the bedroom and put his guitars in the sunroom, Lori fetched his glass of water and a juice for herself. She raided the medicine shelf in the pantry looking for some throat lozenges, finally finding a packet with three left in it. Sitting them next to Jake’s glass, she sat down at the table, waiting for him to come through. When he finally wandered in, he flopped down onto the wooden chair with a sigh of relief.

  “It’s good to be home,” he said, with a smile.

  “It’s good to have you back. I’ve missed you,” Lori admitted, reaching out to touch his hand. “How was it?”

  “Wild. Amazing. Scary,” he said huskily. “The duet with Tori was out of this world. Think that’s what’s killed my throat.”

  “Not so good. You’d better get it checked out.”

  “One step ahead of you,” replied Jake. “Maddy’s sorted out a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow at noon. Throat and knee getting checked out. I’ll be fine. I’ve just strained it a bit. The dry air on the plane didn’t help either.”

  “I guess not,” Lori agreed. “You look tired,”

  “There’s not been much sleep for the last few days. I hate strange hotel beds,” he admitted, popping one of the throat sweets into his mouth. “Tell me about your week.”

  “I’ll tell you as we get ready for bed,” suggested Lori, with a yawn. “It’s hard work entertaining Becky here. I’m worn out.”

  As they lay wrapped in each other’s arms, Lori told Jake all about her week, about Mary leaving, about her physical therapy session and finally about entertaining Becky for the weekend.

  “I can’t believe you took her for pizza,” he grumbled, with a sleepy smile. “Traitor.”

  “It was great pizza. We loved it,” defended Lori.

  When she glanced over at him, Jake had fallen asleep. Gently, she snuggled in close to him and drifted off to sleep.

  Next morning when she awoke, Jake was still sound asleep beside her. As quietly as she could, she showered and dressed, then wandered down to the kitchen to start breakfast. She had just poured her coffee when she heard a car in the driveway. By the time she reached the front door Maddy was standing on the top step.

  “Good morning. Did you smell the coffee?” greeted Lori warmly.

  “Hi, stranger,” said her friend with a hug. “I brought Danish to go with that coffee.”

  “Come on through. I was just about to take mine outside,” explained Lori. “Jake’s still asleep.”

  “Lucky him,” laughed Maddy. “Jason wakened me with a 4am business call. As I was up, I thought I’d come over for breakfast.”

  “Has Jason sent the artwork on to you?” asked Lori quietly, as they reached the kitchen. “Fetch plates for those will you, while I get you a coffee.”

  As she lifted two plates from the cupboard above the stove, Maddy answered, “That’s what he called to discuss. He loves them. I’ve to share them with the band to get their views before we make a final decision. Your usual high standard, Mz Hyde.”

  “Thanks,” said Lori, blushing slightly. “Come on out to the deck, then you can tell me what’s been going on for the last few days.”

  Over two mugs of coffee each and a sinful Danish pastry, the band’s manager fil
led her in on the details of the three concerts and all the interviews and the parties. She went to great lengths to reassure Lori that Jake had kept his partying to a minimum. Rich and Paul on the other hand had made up for him, especially Paul. As her friend spoke, Lori realised she softened her tone whenever she mentioned the drummer and that there were more tales of his antics than the others.

  “Am I sensing a new man in your life?” Lori teased, as she tore off a small piece of her pastry.

  “Pardon?” said Maddy, flushing as scarlet as her spike heeled shoes.

  “Paul,” stated Lori. “Is there something blossoming there?”

  “Perhaps,” laughed Maddy. “He’s good fun. He likes to party. He’s very like me in a lot of ways.”

  “Be gentle with him, Maddison,” cautioned Lori warmly. “They are all very new to this circus that you thrive in.”

  “I know,” laughed her friend. “But they are fast learners.”

  “Who’s a fast learner?” asked a husky voice from behind them. “Good morning, ladies.”

  Lori turned round to see a freshly showered Jake standing in the doorway wearing only a pair of ripped faded denims. His half dry hair hung about his shoulders.

  “How’s the throat?” asked Maddy sharply.

  “I’ll live,” he said quietly, coming out to take a seat at the table.

  There were some pastries left and Lori offered him the bag. Taking one, he asked, “What brings you out here so early, Maddison?”

  “Business and pleasure,” she replied curtly. “Keep an eye on the time. You don’t want to miss that appointment.”

  “Plenty of time,” he said, as he bit into the custard filled pastry. “I don’t need to leave for forty five minutes.”

  “In that case, I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee,” suggested Lori, starting to get to her feet.

  “No. I’ll make it,” insisted Maddy. “You two catch up.”

  Before either of them could protest, the band’s manager disappeared into the house.

  “I missed this place,” sighed Jake, stretching.

  “You were gone less than a week!” exclaimed Lori. “How’re you going to cope if you’re gone for months on end?”

  “That doesn’t bear thinking about this morning.”

  “If you guys were half the success Maddy’s been telling me about then you had better think about it,” said Lori seriously. “Did you know she was soft on Paul?”

  Jake smiled and nodded. “Seems the feeling is mutual. They party very well together.”

  “I can imagine,” laughed Lori then changing the subject asked, “Do you want me to come out to the doctor’s with you?”

  “No, thanks. I’m going on my own. If you stay here, it’s easier to fend off Maddy. She’s not coming either, despite what she may think.”

  “Have you told her?”

  “Told her what?” asked Maddy reappearing with a fresh pot of coffee.

  “I was just saying to Lori that I’m going to the doc’s on my own,” stated Jake firmly. “I’ve a few errands to run on the way back.”

  Maddy started to complain, but Lori put out a hand to stop her, “Let him be. He’s a big boy. He can go by himself.”

  “Mmmm,” she muttered. “If you both insist.”

  “We insist,” said Jake and Lori in unison.

  “Ok, I’m not arguing with both of you,” conceded Maddy grudgingly.

  Much to his annoyance, Jake was late for his medical appointment. He got caught in traffic and arrived at the medical centre ten minutes after his allotted time. Fortunately, the receptionist was understanding and admitted the clinic was running behind schedule. She passed Jake a clipboard with some forms to be completed and instructed him to take a seat. Forms were not his forte and he had barely completed his personal details when he heard his name being called. As he handed the clipboard back to the receptionist, she advised him to take the third door to the left.

  Knocking the door gently, Jake opened it and stepped warily into the doctor’s office, clutching the sheaf of paperwork. A young female doctor sat behind the desk. She looked up when he entered.

  “Mr Power?” she enquired, with a welcoming smile.

  “Jake, please,” he said hoarsely, laying the paperwork down on the desk. “Mr Power makes me feel old.”

  “Jake, then,” she replied. “I’m Lucy Novak. Pleased to meet you.”

  “Likewise.”

  “Now, what can I do for you today?” asked Dr Novak.

  Briefly, Jake explained the problem with his throat and what he thought had triggered things, then he told her about the recent injury to his knee and the lingering pain and swelling.

  “Let’s start with your knee,” suggested the doctor. “Would you mind slipping your jeans off and climbing up on the couch for me?”

  As Jake wriggled out of his sneakers and his jeans, the doctor admitted she had read about the incident at Milford.

  “Yeah, it was a pretty scary experience,” Jake admitted, as he sat up on the narrow couch. “Not one I want to repeat.”

  “Must’ve been hard going out on stage the next time,” she observed.

  “That was the next scary experience,” he joked, trying to make light of it. “It does make you think every time you step out there though.”

  “I’ll bet,” agreed the doctor. “Now let’s see what you’ve done to this knee.”

  The doctor examined him thoroughly, putting the joint through its full range of movement. She got him to do some resistance exercises and stretches, then declared she was done.

  “Well?” he asked, as he pulled his jeans back on.

  “I’m sure it’s just residual soft tissue damage. There’s some swelling but, if you’ve been running about on stage and overusing it, that’s what is likely to be causing it. Try to rest it as much as possible for the next few days. I’ll give you some anti-inflammatory drugs for it. You should ice it too. Try to sit with it up if you can,” replied Dr Novak. “Now let’s take a look at your throat.”

  Again she examined him thoroughly, checking his glands and his ears as well as his throat. She asked him about his normal vocal range, his warm up routine and if he ever did a cool down routine after a show. Jake did his best to talk her through his usual pre and post show ritual and she nodded approvingly.

  “At least you’ve tried to be sensible with it,” she complimented. “I suspect you’ve strained it. A bit of over use if you’re not accustomed to doing three shows in quick succession. Rest your voice totally for forty eight hours, preferably seventy two, but I can appreciate that’s not easy. No talking at all. Not even a whisper. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, smoking and all the usual irritants. Drinking hot water with honey stirred into it will help too.”

  Jake nodded reluctantly, accepting her advice with resignation.

  “No singing at all for at least a week,” she continued. ”When’s your next show?”

  Jake shrugged to indicate he didn’t know.

  “I want to see you again next week to check you out before you sing another note. I’ll also make enquiries about more suitable vocal warm ups. I’ve a friend who is an opera singer, so he should be able to recommend something.”

  Jake nodded and smiled.

  Dr Novak smiled before adding, “And you might want to invest in a notebook and a pen.”

  Her attempt at humour was rewarded with a withering look.

  “Don’t look so worried, Jake. We’ll get you back out there singing your heart out soon enough. You did the right thing coming straight in and not trying to force it.”

  He shrugged resignedly.

  “Ok, so rest the knee. Rest the voice,” she instructed, printing off the prescription for the drugs for his knee. “And I’ll talk to you next Monday. Same time.”

  Jake nodded as he accepted the prescription and gave her a wave as he left the office. On his way back to the truck, he dropped into the centre’s pharmacy to collect the prescribed drugs then made his way outside. The thought of
not being able to speak at all for three whole days filled him with dread but, the fear of permanently damaging his voice terrified him. “Just as things were starting to come together,” he thought miserably. Before he pulled out of the parking lot, he sent a text message to Lori and Maddy. “I’ve to rest knee. Got meds for it. No talking at all for 3 days. No singing for at least a week. Dr again next Mon. J x”

  As he was about to pull out of the space Lori messaged back, “That will be tough for you. Will be worth it in the end. Love you. L x”

  “Love you too. J x”

  During the drive back into town, Jake modified his plans. He had originally intended to drop into his apartment to check on it then head back out to the beach house. Now he decided to do things in reverse. He would go back and see Lori then hibernate at his apartment for the next three days. If there was no one there to talk to then that might make his vow of silence easier to handle. On the way back, he stopped at the food store and stocked up on enough supplies for three days plus a large jar of Manuka honey. It was mid-afternoon when he finally swung the truck into its usual spot under the tree in Lori’s driveway. Slamming the door shut in frustration, he walked round the back of the house, expecting to find her out on the sun deck. The deck was deserted and the patio doors closed. He opened the back door and wandered through the kitchen, finally finding her at her drawing board, focussed completely on the drawing in front of her. At the sound of his feet on the wooden floor, she looked up.

  “Hi,” she said softly. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming back over or not.”

  Reaching for a pen and a scrap of paper he wrote, “Came for a hug. Going back to my apartment. Will be easier I think. I’ll be back for dinner on Thursday.”

  He passed her the note.

  “Your writing is awful!” she laughed as she deciphered his scrawl. “I figured you might do that. Did the Dr say if you’d done any permanent damage?”

  “She didn’t seem to think so,” he scribbled on the back of the first note.

  “That’s a relief,” she sighed, as she got to her feet.