“Well let’s get this done and maybe you can give it to her tonight,” Hunter states picking up his own guitar as he sits in front of one of the mics we have set up. All of us sing as we play depending on the song. This one though will have each of us singing at once.
Strumming the strings, I put the headphones on and begin.
A world filled with darkness comes
Through the darkness is a light
A voice as sweet as a melody shines through
Becoming known as a dark lullaby.
A lullaby that can only be heard in the dark of night
Can you hear the melody
The soothing sound of a dark lullaby
By the time we finish the song it sounds fantastic. I didn’t give the song a title yet, figuring as a band we should do it together. Even if the song was written for Jamie.
She is and always will be the light to my darkness. After coming into my life at a time I hated the world, Jamie was there to heal me.
To put it simply, I didn’t have it easy growing up. In fact, life at home sucked. That’s why the moment I turned eighteen I was out of there, taking the money I saved along with the money my mom had set up for me to receive.
If not for this shop that we took over I don’t know what would have happened to any of the band. None of us had it easy and the guy who used to own this place before we bought it taught us everything we knew. From reading music to knowing how to play all the instruments. Piano to violin. Guitar to drums. Flute to tuba. We learned them all.
After a while we got to pick our preferences of what we played. I remember the day I asked if I could choose more than one. The owner smiled and asked which ones. I’d chosen a guitar and keyboard, liking the idea of combining the two. Hunter had picked the guitar, Lex got drums and Tanner went with the bass.
That day we decided to become Demons Among Us. Having picked the name for the demons that we all carry with us.
“Now that is a song, we need to play next time we have a gig at Outlaw Racks. I bet all the chicks would be swarming us,” Lex says laughing.
“Sounds good to me, we got one coming up this weekend there,” I announced.
“Awesome,” Hunter mumbles as he finishes up writing on a disk before handing it to me. “I hope Jamie likes this.”
“Same here man, I’m fuckin’ nervous about giving her this. I know she’s heard us play new music but never one that was meant solely for her,” I admit.
“Don’t be, she’s gonna love it. Now go, we’ll see you later at the house. It’s Lex’s night to cook dinner,” Tanner says.
Nodding I head out of the shop making my way to my truck. Once in, I start her up and head home. My hand bounces on my knee nervously as I get closer. My gut tightens the closer I get.
Pulling into the driveway, I climb out of the truck with the disk in my hand ready to hand it to her when I get inside.
“Pixie,” I yell out as I walk into the house only to be met by silence. She must still be asleep. Heading upstairs I make it to our bedroom. Smiling I open the door to find Jamie lying right where I left her.
“Pixie, baby, wake up,” I murmur as I lean over her to kiss her face. She doesn’t stir or move when I tap her on the arm.
Pulling the blanket back, I spot the blood between her legs. Oh shit. Reaching into my pocket I dial nine-one-one letting them know what’s going on. Doesn’t take long for them to show up. I told the operator to inform them to kick the door in. I refused to leave Jamie’s side.
“Sir I need you to step aside,” a woman’s voice says as she places a hand on my shoulder to get past me.
“Patient is unresponsive, do you know how far along she is?” the woman asks me.
“Right at eight months,” I murmur watching everything they do to Jamie.
“Okay let’s get a stretcher in here,” another person orders.
“We need to get her to the hospital ASAP,” the woman states replacing the stethoscope around her neck and removing the blood pressure cuff from Jamie’s arm. She mutters something to the other guy that Jamie’s BP is fifty-three over twenty. I’m not a doctor, I don’t know medical terminology but whatever they’re saying isn’t good.
The rest of it becomes a blur as I stand to the side watching as they load Jamie onto a stretcher.
I follow behind in a daze climbing in the back of the ambulance and sit where I’m instructed to.
All the while praying for the first time in my life that everything will be okay.
Chapter Seven
Chaz
“Chaz I’m sorry to have to do this. I thought Jamie would have told you by now,” Doctor Taylors says the moment she comes into the waiting room.
“Tell me what?” I demand.
Sighing Doctor Taylors shakes her head. “Let’s move to a quiet area. We don’t need to do this with an audience,” she says holding her arm out to usher all of us into a private room.
When I’d first gotten to the hospital the nurses showed me to the waiting room, asked me questions then went about doing their job.
“Her cancer is back again isn’t it?” Alexis quietly asks, her arms wrapped around herself.
“What do you mean cancer?” I ask whipping my head to face her.
“Yes,” Doctor Taylors says simply.
“Wait a fuckin’ minute, someone please explain this to me. When did Jamie have cancer? What form of it did she have? And why the hell didn’t she tell me any of this?” I roar. I can feel myself slipping.
“Chaz right
