Harkham's Corner (Harkham's Series Book 3) (20 page)

“I can’t fucking believe this! You’re a man. Act like one. Kick that woman out of the house if she’s so terrible and psychotic. Kick her out of your life now!” Adam shook his head. The air felt hot, so when he breathed, it was like fire. His nostrils flared.

“She’s your mother!” Thomas whispered, his voice harsh.

“I don’t fucking care!” Adam yelled back so loud Mari’s head popped into the room.

She asked him silently if he was okay. He shook his head no.

“She lied about everything then? Is that what you’re telling me? She blamed Samara for draining her accounts. And I figured she did it to help you out, but she didn’t. She was trying to win you back. What was she doing with that money?”

“Gambling. She was trying to double and triple her money. She wanted to prove to me she could fix everything, because she’d done other things before that even, to threaten your life. She sent me tons of letters, begging me to come back to her. She promised she’d bring you with her, and you could make your songs again. I wanted to believe her, since I wanted those things more than anything. She was certain we’d have the money this time to live out our dream of me being a successful singer and musician and you a big part of all of it. I told her no. I never wanted to pimp out my son’s gifts. Your music is sacred to me, because it’s a part of who you are deep down inside.”

“And yet, that’s what you’re doing to me now. Taking me to court? Sure sounds like you’re doing exactly what she wants,
Dad
. Treating me like your ATM cash dispenser.” Adam’s words barely made it through his bared teeth.

“I keep telling you—that’s not what I’m doing! Once more, I’m protecting you, and you see it as me being the enemy. I’m not. I never was. If I put my name on your stuff, it gives you some credence. It gives you a warning to others to keep away unless they want to deal with me and unless they’re gonna treat you right, then they—”

“You don’t have a presence. Not like what you’re talking about.” Adam laughed, and it was dark and scary sounding.

“I have enough that I can get you started in the right direction. You think I want to see you fail for a measly few grand? Why would I want that? There’s no price that can ever be put on your music, Adam. You’re a fucking musical genius. You always were. Frankly, it kind of terrified me to have a son that brilliant. More brilliant than I was ever gonna be at music, and I barely taught you what I knew, and you took off with it. It was the most frightening thing I’d ever seen. And I knew what it could mean for you.”

“What could it mean?”

“People would steal you away from me, and I loved you more than anything. I couldn’t allow that.” A soft sobbing noise drifted over the phone.

“Okay, I need to . . .” Adam rubbed his forehead—it hurt like a son of a bad man “. . . think . . . and I can’t do that with you shoving all these words into my head. It’s worse than the numbers.”

“I’m sorry, I just . . .”

Adam’s fist flew out and hit the cabinet behind him. “You’re making me want to be violent. I said no! I’ve heard as much as I can right now. Good. Bye.” He ended the call, shoved his phone across the floor at Mari.

She only stood there, staring at it and then him.

“Wow,” was all she said.

“Yeah, fucking wow. I’m an idiot. And I can’t seem to stop it.” He bounced his head off the back of the cabinet, then he took a deep breath through his nostrils to clear his head. Still felt like fire in his breath.

Instead of it cleansing his mind, he was hit with another flash.

This time, it wasn’t debilitating.

It was softer. It was sweeter.

Thomas hovered over him while Adam was tucked in bed.

“Sing it again,” the little boy told his father.

“It’s your song.” The dad smiled so brightly, it lit up the room.

“Let’s do it together?”

They hummed in unison at first, but it wasn’t enough.

They sang, laughed and held hands.

He blinked and Mari faded back into his vision.

Adam screamed. “Ahhhhh, nooooo! That son of bitch is making me crazy!”

“Honey, I’m calling an ambulance!”

“No! Why?”

“Because you’re bleeding out of your nose, and your pupils are very dilated.” She held his arm and then something was over his nose.

Voices came later.

Gruff.

Scratchy hands lifted him, and he was whisked away. For some reason, he couldn’t feel his feet.

The only thing he had to keep him company were the numbers and that song he sang with his dad.

It was about the day he found the notes. The day he found the colors that brightened his world. And the piano didn’t lie. It told him how the song went.

Chapter 10

Adam kicked the covers off. This was silly.

“I’m not sick,” he told Dr. Harkham as she hovered.

“I know you’re not sick. They ran the same tests I did. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“See? I already knew that. Let me out of here, then.” He stood up and got dizzy for a moment.

He couldn’t remember much about when they took him to the hospital, only that at one point he felt like someone was jabbing a knife into his skull, and he felt paralyzed.

He swayed. She helped brace him.

“The hospital said you can go as soon as you feel alert enough, but no driving for today. All your scans were cleared. We’re still trying to figure out what caused that nose bleed, but they’re not concerned about it.” She swallowed. “But . . . I saw something I didn’t like.”

“What was it?” He leaned into the bed. “And where is my wife?”

“Here, honey.” She was sitting in the chair behind his bed.

“Mari.” He reached for her. “Come here. I need you, sweetheart.”

In an instant, she was at his side, her arm around him, supporting him.

“You are too good to me,” he told her, kissing her cheek.

“I can say the same about you.” She winked and smiled, but her eyes were sad and kind of swimmy.

“Don’t look that way. Please.” He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

“Okay. I won’t.” She sniffed, and her smile brightened while she leaned into his touch.

“What I saw was some scarring that we hadn’t noticed before in your previous scans. I’m not sure how we missed them. The doctors here said they were fine—they wouldn’t impair you or cause you any more problems than you’ve already had. You’re functioning well, so they said not to worry about it.” Harkham breathed out like she had terrible news. “But if that’s the case, then why these recent flare ups?”

“I have no idea,” he said, stretching his neck a little. He felt stiff and sore all over.

“And I’m thinking what happened to you was a brain bleed, although that doesn’t show up on a CAT scan for the first twenty-four hours, so I’ll be monitoring you as your doctor very carefully today since the test we just had you take didn’t show any internal bleeding either. It could’ve closed up already, though.” Dr. Harkham spoke softly.

“Can’t these issues all simply be due to stress? He’s about to graduate. He just took finals. He’s working in a strenuous emotional environment by helping sick people. Maybe that’s why?” Mari stiffened at his side.

“Maybe . . . It could be that. I want to do some more research. I’ll get back to you if I find anything out, but I thought I should mention it to you, Adam, since I’ll be sharing my ideas with your father.” She nodded.

He nodded back. “Thank you, Amelia. Tell him I’m good, and I’ll be ready to go back to work on Monday.”

Amelia went even more rigid than his wife. “I’m not sure he’ll want that, but I’ll tell him you said so.”

She left the room. Mari and Adam stayed where they were, locked in place.

The only thing that moved was their breaths stirring the air.

“It’s the music. I hummed that song.”

“Which one?” She turned to face him.

“The one I thought I’d written for you. I didn’t write it for you. I mean, I did, but I didn’t.” He groaned. How could he explain this. “I saw an old buried memory. I wrote that song forever ago when I was a very little child. I made it up and later sang it with my dad, Thomas. It had lyrics. I created a piano melody when I was barely able to be potty trained. That’s not normal.” He shook his head. “And I don’t know what to think about that.”

“Well, I . . .” She licked her lips, then pulled them in.

“Exactly. No one knows what to say or think about it. I’m a freak.” His heart and lungs felt all bunchy, like his innards had turned into a Venetian blind, and someone had yanked on the cord to smoosh them together so they’d be compact.

Instead of words, she pulled him into a tight hug and cried on his shoulder.

When she was done, she whispered, “You’re not a freak. Never! You’re my man, and the best man ever. There’s no one as wonderful as you. I know. I know . . .” She kissed his cheek softly, then over his eyelid and slid her way down to his jaw. “It’s not fun having you in here. I need my Adam back.”

“I know—I’m your man, and I keep you safe and happy.” He beamed at her, squeezing her tight.

“I want to help you, but I don’t know how.” Her bottom lip quivered.

“Don’t cry, honey. I’m already better. I’ll be home in just a little bit, and then we can snuggle and forget this ever happened.”

She hummed and crawled into the bed with him. “I’ll get in trouble for this.”

“Probably.” He chuckled. “You’re still gonna do it, though, ‘cause I say you should.”

She giggled and tucked her head into his chest. “Reminds me of when Samara sliced me open like a Thanksgiving turkey, and when I went to get stitches, you got in bed with me. The hospital staff was less than pleased about that.”

“I wanted to get in bed with you after you had Meg, too. I would’ve but there wasn’t enough room for all three of us.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I would’ve made room. I remember I wanted you next to me, at my side, holding me close enough I could hear your heart beat.” She tipped her head up and stared in his eyes. “You’re everything to me, Adam. I hope you know that.”

“I do, because when I go to sleep at night and hear you breathing, I know that we both keep our happy hearts beating for each other and our kids. That’s a fabulous feeling.” His toes curled at the thought.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, and if you ever think I don’t, just kick me, ‘kay? No one by the name of Mari Latham should ever feel unloved.”

She chuckled and squeezed him tight, then placed a hand on his chest. “God, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Even better than music.”

“Wha . . . ?” He pretended to be beyond shocked.

“It’s true.” She shook him a little and kissed the underside of his chin. “Music changes. It fades, or I grow bored of certain songs. But you?” She kissed the edge of his mouth, then wiped it away like she always used to do. “You never fade, and I never grow bored of you—ever. You’re my one constant bright spot in my life. No matter how stressed I get, or how hard things are, I always know there’s you, and that means more than every rock concert combined.”

“Well, now I feel a dance coming on.” He pretended to do a little jig in the bed.

They both laughed, until they heard someone entering his door.

Mari moved like she was going to slip out of the bed, but Adam held her at his side. “No. Stay.”

“Okay,” she squeaked.

Dr. Harkham smiled at them. “It wouldn’t be right if you obeyed all the rules,” she told them.

“You wouldn’t know who I was if I did that,” he replied.

Mari bursted into a loud laugh, followed by Dr. Harkham.

“Sometimes I’m funny, but this isn’t supposed to be funny. It’s just true.” He gave a goofy grin.

“And the funniest moments are the ones where they just happen, and no one is trying.” Dr. Harkham winked, and tried to stifle her laugh unsuccessfully.

Being in the hospital had its plus side—it made Dr. Harkham giddy when Adam did silly things.

* * *

Going home was crazy.

His kids were all hopped up on soda, thanks to Zach.

“Next Thursday is graduation,” Mari reminded him.

“I know. I’ll be ready.” He plopped down on the couch.

Button was sleeping in his car seat.

Mari set the baby next to him. Adam lay down and stared at the little dude.

What would it be like to have a brilliant son with crazy talents?

Would Button be that to him?

His eyes stung as he thought about how far he’d go to protect his little one and keep Byron with him.

There might not be a limit. And what about Mari?

What if she tried to help his boy? Would he ditch her? Could he?

His heart was a thousand pounds heavier as he reached out and stroked the baby’s skin.

So fresh and new. He was barely learning to sit up, but there was so much untold of potential.