The Game Changer (45 page)

“Liv,” Rita warned, shushing her and inclining her head toward the window. Melody followed her mother’s gaze and saw Ava curled up in a chair, asleep.

Olivia took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice was softer. “Sydney pushed you down the stairs.”

Melody closed her eyes, and flashes of her encounter with Sydney played out in her mind. “I remember now,” she whispered. “How did you know it was her? She ran out.”

“Cameron was just coming in, and he saw her. He recognized her and thought it was weird that she was running out of the building, so he grabbed her. Ava and I heard you scream and we rushed into the stairwell, and by the time we got to the bottom, Cameron had dragged Sydney back inside.”

Melody shifted on the bed, wincing as the movement sent dull waves of pain through her body.

“I’m going to call for a nurse,” Rita said, but Melody was already asleep again by the time she had pressed the call button.

*****

The bed shifted, and as Melody slowly returned to consciousness, the scent of peaches and vanilla greeted her, and she smiled.

“Ava,” she said, without opening her eyes. She reached out, and Ava grasped her hand.

“Go back to sleep,” Ava said quickly. “I’ll get in trouble for waking you up.”

Melody opened her eyes, and was surprised to find the room full of sunlight. She vaguely remembered a nurse waking her up throughout the night, murmuring something about a concussion, but she had thought it was a dream.

Her gaze settled on Ava, who looked pale and tired, but relieved to see Melody awake.

“Where are Nana and Olivia?” Melody asked.

“They went to get some breakfast,” Ava told her. “I asked if I could stay here, and they said yes, as long as I didn’t bother you. I didn’t mean to wake you up, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Melody’s head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. This was a million times worse than any hangover she’d ever experienced. She blinked several times, but couldn’t seem to get her mind or her eyes to focus.

“Here.” The bed shifted again and Melody opened her eyes to see Ava holding out a small plastic container of orange juice with a straw stuck through the foil top.

“Thanks.” Melody took the container and drank the entire thing, not caring when the acidity of the juice burned her dry throat. As she lowered the cup, her gaze drifted back to Ava, and she reached out in alarm when she saw her niece crying silently.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Melody asked, ditching the cup and reaching for Ava’s hand.

“I was so scared,” Ava said, her voice hitching on a sob. “Me and Olivia came out when we heard you, and you were just lying at the bottom of the stairs. I ran down as fast as I could, but your eyes closed and we couldn’t wake you up. Cameron said not to touch you, and he called 911, and the ambulance came, and the police came to take the woman who pushed you, and…” The torrent of words was interrupted by another hitch in her voice, this time caused by a hiccup.

“It’s okay,” Melody soothed. “I’m fine, see? I’m awake now, and…” And what? She knew she must be heavily medicated because her words were sluggish, and her limbs felt heavy. She could only imagine how banged up she must look, and how frightening it must be for Ava. She didn’t want to see herself in a mirror anytime soon.

Her mother’s voice drifted down the hall, and Ava stood quickly. Rita and Olivia entered the room, and when they saw Melody was awake, they rushed to her bedside.

“How are you feeling?” Rita asked.

“Like I fell down a flight of metal stairs,” Melody said, smiling weakly.

Rita shook her head and made tsking noises, but her lips pulled into a small smile.

“The gift shop didn’t have any suitable flowers, so I got you this instead,” Olivia said, stepping forward and holding out a stuffed owl. “I thought you’d appreciate this more anyway.”

“I do,” Melody said, running a hand over its velvety fur. “Thank you.” She glanced over at Ava, whose eyes were now red from crying. “Mom, why don’t you take Ava to the bathroom so she can splash some water on her face?” She had questions, and she didn’t want to ask them in front of her niece.

Rita glanced between Melody and Olivia, then nodded her understanding. “Sure. Come on, baby girl, let’s go. I got muffins and fruit salad from the cafeteria, so we can all have breakfast when we get back.”

Olivia perched on the side of the bed once they were alone.

“Tell me what happened,” Melody said.

Olivia went over the course of events from the time she and Ava found Melody at the bottom of the stairs to when Cameron had caught Sydney and called 911. The police had arrived along with the ambulance, and while the paramedics tended to Melody, the police took Sydney.

“From what I understand, they brought her here late last night after questioning her,” Olivia said, her face hard with anger. “I heard something about them doing a psych evaluation on her. If she really is sick, I know it’s not her fault, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to go all Incredible Hulk on her ass and tear her limb from limb.”

Melody started to laugh, but stopped abruptly when pain shot through her ribs. “How bad are my injuries?”

“Broken wrist,” Olivia said, and Melody held up her arm to examine the cast. “Concussion. Bruised ribs, lots of bumps and scrapes. The doctors said you were lucky it wasn’t worse, especially with how far you must have fallen, and how hard those stairs are.”

Melody sighed and reclined on the pillows, closing her eyes and covering them with her good hand. “I just can’t believe it. She must have been waiting out there for me and followed me in. I met Rick on my way home, and he warned me that he had broken things off with her, and that she blamed me.”

“She’s sick,” Olivia said. “At first I thought she was just one of those strange girls who was insanely jealous, but clearly it was more than that.”

“Clearly,” Melody agreed, holding up her cast-encased arm.

Olivia shifted on the bed, and looked like she wanted to say something, but was having trouble deciding if she should. “Rick feels horrible,” she said finally. “I guess the hospital called him when they admitted Sydney, and he came down last night. He rushed to your room and was a big, blubbering mess, saying he blamed himself for what happened, and he’d never forgive himself, and on and on.” She shook her head and glanced down, examining her nails and avoiding Melody’s gaze. “I guess the guy’s not so bad after all…maybe.”

Melody chuckled, despite the pain it caused in her ribs. “Yeah…I think I realized that recently, too. Who knew, right?”

Olivia met her eyes and grinned. “Life is full of surprises.”

Talking about Rick made Melody think of Julian. She wondered if Olivia had called him to fill him in on the accident.

“I haven’t been in touch with Julian yet,” Olivia said, as if reading Melody’s mind. “I didn’t know if you’d want me to or not. I know things have been weird between you two, and I also know you wouldn’t like it if he came home because you were in the hospital.”

“You’re right,” Melody agreed. “I want him to come home when he’s ready, and because he
wants
to, not out of some sense of obligation.” She sighed and closed her suddenly heavy eyelids again.

“Get some sleep,” Olivia said, patting her shoulder. “Visiting hours are going to be over soon, but I’m going to see what I can do about sticking around.”

Melody smiled, her eyes still closed. “Thanks, Liv,” she said, her words thick from the sudden exhaustion that tried to pull her under.

She sensed Olivia standing over her, then felt her soft lips brush her cheek. “Sweet dreams,” she whispered as Melody drifted off.

*****

Despite Melody’s protests, the doctor on call wanted to keep her in the hospital one more night. It was a rough night, as they cut back slightly on her pain medication to get her ready to go home. She slept fitfully, her dreams punctuated with images of Sydney’s crazed eyes, Ava crying quietly, and her mother’s concerned face.

When morning finally came, she couldn’t leave fast enough. Olivia came to pick her up, and when Melody was sitting in the hospital-mandated wheelchair, she coaxed Olivia to race through the halls until they burst through the front doors and into the bright sunlight.

“Thank you Bellevue General Hospital for your fine care…now may I never see the inside of your halls again,” Melody said as Olivia helped her into the passenger side of the car.

“I’ll second that,” Olivia agreed emphatically.

It was a struggle getting up the stairs to their apartment. Melody squashed down the emotions she felt when entering the building, and leaned heavily on Olivia as they slowly climbed the stairs.

“You’re officially under house arrest until you’re stronger,” Olivia panted when they made it their apartment door. “I’m not helping you up and down the stairs multiple times a day.”

Melody laughed, but before she could reply, the door flew open and she was greeted by her mother and Ava, who both wore wide smiles.

“Welcome home!” they cheered.

“We were going to wait ’til you came in and then pop out and yell, ‘Surprise!’ but then we realized that probably wasn’t the smartest idea,” Ava said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She pointed to a hand-painted banner strung crookedly across the living room that proclaimed ‘Welcome Home’ in bright letters.

“You guys,” Melody said, gingerly hugging Rita and then Ava. “This is so sweet. Ava, that banner is beautiful.”

“We helped, too,” Rita said with a wink, hooking an arm around Melody’s waist and escorting her to the couch.

The warm homecoming made Melody even happier to be home. She was looking forward to a long shower, a home-cooked meal, and a nap in her own bed. The only thing missing now was Julian.

*****

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” Melody asked Olivia several days later.

“Nope. The play is under way, and there’s a short break before they need my costume-designing talents for the next one.” Olivia set a glass of water and Melody’s pain pills on her nightstand. “Why, am I smothering you?” she asked in a way that told Melody she already knew the answer.

“No, I’ve always wanted my own personal servant,” Melody said airily.

“Pff, servant,” Olivia groused. “I prefer ‘nurse’. And as your nurse, I get to tell you that it’s time for your nap. You’re getting cranky.”

Melody scoffed. “I’m getting cranky because I want to go outside. I want to walk around without every inch of my body protesting. I want to go back to work and have my normal life back.”

“I know.” Olivia sank onto the edge of Melody’s bed. “Just think of it this way: you get lots of rest now, give your body time to heal, and by August when we go on our trip, you’ll be all better.”

“Except for this,” Melody said, holding up her left arm and waving the cast around. Olivia and Ava had decorated it with brightly coloured markers, stickers, and glitter. Even Rick had signed it when he stopped by with a huge bouquet of pink hydrangeas and an endless stream of apologies. It made Melody smile every time she looked at it, despite the fact it was an eyesore worthy of Liberace.

“Dr. Tucker said they’d be able to fit you with a smaller cast by then,” Olivia reminded her, pushing her gently back onto the pillows and pulling the covers over her. “Now go to sleep. Mom is dropping Ava off in a little over an hour, and we’re making lasagna for dinner. Be good, or I’ll be forced to blend yours up and feed it to you through a straw while you lie in bed.”

“Now there’s an image,” Melody said, laughing.

“Yes, a disgusting image. Don’t make me do it.” She grinned at Melody and gently touched the bruise over her right eye. “You’re already starting to heal. Take your pill and go to sleep.”

Melody did as she was told. She’d never been much of a napper, so it still surprised her how easily she fell asleep during the day. She knew it was the pills, and she knew her body needed the rest to heal properly, but it was strange to spend so much time in bed.

The sound of low voices woke her up sometime later, reminding her of when she first awoke in the hospital. She assumed it was her mother dropping off Ava, but when she looked at the clock, she saw she’d been asleep for nearly two hours. With a sigh, she sank back on the pillows and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, hoping to rub away the grogginess, too.