Melody for a Long Weekend

Melody tried to follow, but her kicked ankle protested being used. She remained on the couch as Harry's words sunk in.

David accelerated his march down the hall, went through the open front door out onto the porch, and launched Harry from the top step to land on the front lawn on his belly with a mighty thump.

"DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH MELODY AGAIN!" David roared from the top step.

A police cruiser rushed into the driveway, and two officers jumped out. "Freeze, police!" one yelled.

David raised his hands then recognized one of the cops. "Officer Blane?"

"DAVID! WHAT?!? WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!?" Jackie screeched.

He turned his head left to look in his driveway, where his family members were getting out of the station wagon.

"Mom?" he blinked back in surprise.

Auden chose that moment to quickly step outside and rush to David. She clung to his shoulder, only partially hidden from the watching eyes. The last warm rays of sunlight did glorious things to her bikini-clad body.

"Boobs!" Ricky blurted from where he stood next to his mother with an awestruck expression.

David locked eyes with his brother and gave him a fierce scowl. "Hey! Don't be rude. This is my girlfriend." Auden's smile was sweet and shy, and she waved to his family. Everyone but his mom waved back. She still seemed frozen.

He noticed that they were all staring at him as he stood mostly naked on the porch, glowing in the warm orange rays of the setting sun. His first impulse was to hide his swimsuit with his hands, but Melody's words came to him, and he just crossed his arms before himself.

The police officer recognized David as well. "Mr. Spencer. Why are you at the Dawson household?"

"I live next door. That's my family." The officer nodded to the stunned redhead standing in the open door of the station wagon. The woman had yet to look away from her son.

David continued to answer his question. "I've been taking care of M-Mrs. Dawson this weekend. She injured her ankle." David pointed to Harry, who was beginning to stir. "I think you might want to arrest him. I think he killed Mr. Dawson."

Harry stumbled up to his feet and made another bad decision. He began to run.

Blane's much younger partner took Harry down with a flying tackle before he reached the sidewalk.

David winced as he knew how painful such a tackle was when wearing pads. Without padding, there might be broken bones. He shared a look with Officer Blane for the overly enthusiastic tackle.

Blane checked on his partner, who only seemed bruised, but Harry has seen better days. The officer walked over to join David at the top of the steps. This way, he could avoid staring at David's swimsuit.

"This is my girlfriend, Auden Wright. What are you doing here?" David asked the officer who nodded to Auden, and they all watched the other officer cuffing Harry.

"I'm not supposed to speak to anyone about it until I speak to Mrs. Dawson, directly," the officer remarked.

"I think that piece of shit gave her the bad news before you got here. He confessed to giving her husband two Viagra after telling him they were painkillers. Then he discovered he was dead an hour later when he brought a hooker to the room. He somehow thought because it was an accident, he wasn't going to be in trouble."

Blane stared at David then he finally spoke. "You'll have to testify to what you heard."

"Would a video of the confession be helpful?" he asked, and once more, the officer stared at him. "I was upstairs taking a nap when I heard the doorbell. I came downstairs with my cell and heard that tool saying Mr. Dawson didn't deserve her. It felt prudent to make a video, so I recorded him from the kitchen doorway." He gestured to the woman at his side. "Auden joined me at the end."

He glanced back at the front door. "I'd better go see if Melody is okay." He looked to Blane. "I'll let her know you're coming in to speak to her." He looked at the car in the driveway. "That car must belong to this guy if you want to get the tow truck to impound it."

Officer Blane snorted and looked to David. "Ever think of joining the force?"

David just smiled. "Sorry, I have my sights set on being a physiotherapist."

He and Auden went back into the house, she went into the living room directly to Melody, and he swung by the kitchen to get his cell from the counter where he left it. He joined them in the living room and saw Melody was crying. Auden had her arm around her. He knelt down next to the crying woman and did a quick check to see if that little turd had hurt her physically. He thankfully saw no evidence of that.

"Melody? I'm sorry to hear about your husband," he said gently.

She pulled her hands from her face and saw her lovely but sad brown eyes. "When Harry told me he was dead, the first thing I felt was relief. No divorce. No need to move from my home. What kind of monster have I become?"

"That doesn't make you a monster in any way. He no longer held a place in your heart. He'd killed that in the years he neglected you. Even before you spoke to the creep I just tossed out, you'd already determined you had a bad husband. You'd already decided to leave him. It's only natural to feel relief from being released from the ordeal of that ugly process." He tipped her face up with a gentle finger on her chin. "Listen, the police are here. Likely at the request of the Arizona police. You need to speak to them. Ah, and I recorded a video of that creep's confession."

Melody looked at him in surprise.

There was a knock on the open front door.

"Come in. We're in the living room," David called out.

Officer Blane appeared in the doorway. "Mr. Spencer, Ms. Wright, I need to speak with Mrs. Dawson in private."

David made to leave, but Melody shook her head and had him sit, so she was between the two lovers. "They stay," she said firmly, her eyes red and puffy.

Officer Blane nodded and proceeded with the statement from the Scottsdale police describing how they responded to a report of a death in the hotel. They investigated and discovered her husband, who was dead. There was some confusion as his roommate had checked out early, and there was a manhunt out for him. This delayed the reporting of his death."

The officer looked at David. "You mentioned a recording?"

David pulled out his cell and looked to Melody. "We could watch this in the other room if you don't want to—"

"No, I want to see it, too," Melody insisted.

David pulled up the video and got up to stand while the officer sat next to Melody. He handed the cell to the cop. Melody, Blane, and Auden sat through the playback, and once it was over, the officer looked to him. "We'll need a copy of the recording."

David thought about that. "I'll go next door and copy it to a memory stick for you." The officer nodded and handed David the cell phone. "Okay, give me a few minutes."

"I'll go with you," Auden said, and he nodded.

First, they went upstairs, where David threw his shorts on over his swimsuit and pulled on a t-shirt from his duffle bag. Auden slipped on her blouse and skirt. Then they went downstairs and out onto the porch where they saw his family was still outside, watching.

Time to face the music. David took Auden's hand and led her down the drive and around the hedge, where they met his mom and dad at the end of their driveway.

"Mom, Dad, this is Auden Wright, my girlfriend." David saw his dad was all smiles, but his mom's face had the strangest expression as she stared at him. After a silent pause, he looked to his dad. "Is Mom okay?"

"What happened to you?" this mother suddenly blurted.

He watched her cautiously. "Well, you know most of it. Melody hurt her ankle, and I took care of her. She helped me study. She gave me some great advice, and I met Auden while I was buying her some flowers. We met yesterday while shopping, and today we hung out at Melody's and swam in our pool. Now, I need to make a copy for the police of the recording I made of that creep confessing to being involved with the death of Melody's husband. She's pretty upset. Listen, I'll be staying at her place again tonight. She shouldn't be alone."

"You're mine! My child, not hers!" Jackie abruptly snapped.

"What? I-I'm not a child..." he said quietly in confusion at her uncharacteristically hostile behavior. He glanced in embarrassment at Auden then he shook his head. "Sorry, Mom, I don't have time for this. The police are waiting." He aimed a sharp, questioning look at his dad, who could only shrug with his own confusion.

David guided Auden around his parents and met his siblings, who stood before them with smiles. "Auden, this is my sister Suzanne and my brother Rick, who is seconds away from getting the rude leer slapped from his face." Suzie absolutely bloomed at her big bother's use of her name's mature variant. Rick immediately gave him a nervous glance.

Auden smiled sweetly and shook hands with both as Rick struggled to keep his eyes off her tits.

As they continued inside, David shot Auden an apologetic look. "Sorry about my mom's behavior. I'm not sure what's going through her mind at the moment. She's usually far more friendly."

Auden just shook her head and hugged his arm. She was just thrilled to be seeing her boyfriend's room.

-=-

When David and Auden left, Melody watched them head out, then turned to the officer. "David's been such an incredible help to me this weekend."

Blane nodded. "He mentioned you injured your ankle."

She nodded and lifted her leg to show the bruising. "Yes, I fell off a stool and badly sprained it. David was in his backyard and heard me scream when I fell. He took me to the hospital, picked up my medication, made meals, and even did my laundry."

The officer nodded thoughtfully. "I've actually met him a few times this weekend. Outside the pharmacy, where his truck was vandalized, at the auto parts shop where he was attacked, and now here. He's been far more mature than most of his counterparts. His parents should be proud of him! They arrived when we did."

Melody looked at the officer. "They're outside?"

"Yes, his mother seemed quite surprised about how he was dressed and who he was with. Mothers." Officer Blane gave her a gently amused smiled. "Do you have children?"

Melody gasped as she suddenly realized she was going to have to call her son to let him know his father was dead. Tears sprung to her eyes as she nodded to the man. "A son. He's in the army. Stationed overseas." She began to cry as she wasn't sure how he would react to the news. He'd been so indifferent to her on her last few calls. Would he even care?

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I should have been more sensitive," Blane said contritely.

Melody shook her head. "I'm going to need some time."

"Of course! Do you have someone to stay with you?" he asked.

Melody's mind immediately latched onto the image of David. She needed him so badly right now. She nodded as she knew Auden would be in the big empty house with her.

But she needed David.

-=-

As David led Auden back to the main floor, she was carrying his clothes for him. She'd insisted, and he couldn't keep from smiling at the defiant little twinkle in her eye.

At the bottom of the stairs, his mother waited with her arms crossed. His smile slipped away as he gave her a cautious look.

"I don't think it's a good idea, you staying over at Melody's tonight," she said stiffly.

David spotted his father behind her, watching as he carried luggage under his arms from unloading the car. The man moved on with a troubled expression.

He turned his attention back to his mother and saw anxiety flit across her face. He pulled her into a hug, making her squeak in surprise, then her arms were around him, holding him tight. He glanced down at her in concern as she was trembling as she clung to him.

"Mom, do you recall what you told me when I was driving Melody back from the hospital? You said, take care of her. She needs you. You made me so proud when you showed such compassion for our neighbor. Tonight, she discovered her husband just died. I think she shouldn't be alone after getting such horrible news, don't you?"

"It doesn't have to be you!" Jackie cried against his chest.

Auden moved into David's view and pointed to herself. He shook his head.

"Mom, it should be someone she's familiar with. A friend. We bonded this weekend out of necessity and actually became good friends. I need to be there for her. Make me proud again."

Jackie was quiet for a moment, and her grip loosened. Then it suddenly went tight. "No, you're my son!"

David rolled his eyes, and Auden suppressed a grin though she was looking at Jackie in confusion.

"You know I can easily break free," David said wearily.

"No!" Jackie said against his chest, her breath steaming his shirt as she pressed her face to him.

"I know your tickle points," he teased.

"David! Don't you dare!" she growled.

Sighing as she wasn't releasing her grip, he moved his hands, and she jerked against him in preparation, but it was no use. When his big hands gripped her sides, she screeched and spasmed. It only took seconds for him to manhandle her smaller body into a hold that let him carry her into the family room and force her face down on the sofa cushions. A firm hand on her back between her shoulder blades and one on her tailbone, and she was helpless. Her face was red, she was glassy-eyed and breathless, but she couldn't deny his strength.

His dad rushed in to see what his wife's scream was about, and David looked to him. "Ah, good. Dad, come here, please."

When his dad was next to him, he nodded towards his hands. "See where I'm pressing? Put your hands here and press down. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow." He looked to his mom. "Even though you weren't able to make me proud tonight, I'll ace that exam tomorrow and make you proud of me. I love you, Mom."

His dad took over but looked far less comfortable about it. David and Auden quickly made their get-away.

They crossed back over to Melody's and let themselves in. David saw Officer Blane looking very uncomfortable, and Melody glanced up with a look of desperation in her eyes. David knew what she needed.

"Here's the recording. Is there anything else? It looks like my patient should get some rest," he said with a smile.

The officer stood and took the memory stick with a grateful smile. "Thank you." He looked to Melody. "Again, my condolences for your loss." Melody nodded to him.

David walked the police officer to the door and said his goodbyes. The moment the door was closed, he rushed back to the living room to sit next to her and wrapped his arms around her. Her tears began again as she tucked her face into his neck. Auden watched with a sad expression.

He didn't know what to say, so remaining quiet was best. When she settled down, he pulled back so he could see her face. He saw a look of shame there.

"Hey, what's this? Talk to me," he insisted quietly.

She took a shaky breath. "I've failed as a mother."

"What are you talking about?" he asked doubtfully.

She rubbed her face against his shoulder. "When I was speaking to Jackie about my son's visits, I didn't tell her he's been refusing to come home during his leave. When I asked him about it on our last call, he said he couldn't relate to our world. He doesn't want anything to do with us. I need to call him to let him know his father is dead... but I don't think he'll come home this time, either."

"And how is this your fault? Don't forget, I grew up as his neighbor. I don't mean any disrespect, but he was a weird kid. So intense all the time. Picking fights with anyone and everyone! When his dad shipped him off to the military academy, the kids in the neighborhood all breathed a sigh of relief. He was just wired differently. I don't believe there was anything you could have done to change him. It sounds like the army is the place he needs to be. He's found a way to fit in." He rubbed her neck to ease some of the tension. "Maybe you should just be happy for him and let him be who he is."

She looked up at David through her lashes. "You don't think I'm a bad parent?"

David shook his head. "Not at all. I think life dealt you a bad card, your husband, and a puzzle piece that doesn't fit into the standard family puzzle. You're loving, empathetic, smart and fun. You deserved better options."

She pulled his face down to hers, and they shared a sweet kiss. When she pulled back, David's eyes were dreamy, and she bit her lip as tingles rushed through her body. She reached out and took Auden's hand and brought it to her lips. "It feels like life is listening. This certainly seems like a second chance to me."

Auden made a happy sound and snuggled up against Melody's other side.

"We're staying with you tonight. You won't be alone," David said and felt her relax against him.

After a moment, she looked up at him. "What did your mother say?"

He gave her a crooked smile. "It wasn't her call." He settled his arms around her and Auden.

When Melody felt strengthened by their hugs, she sighed and patted their legs. "I need to call my son."

She left them in the living room to make her call from the phone in the kitchen. She picked up the handset, plucked the number she'd written down on a piece of paper under a fridge magnet, and sat at the table. Taking a deep breath, she dialed the number.

Melody spoke to the Army operator, then listened while they bounced her call through secure channels to reach his Commanding Officer at the base where he was stationed.

"Mrs. Dawson, this is Colonel Steinburg. How might I be of service?" he said brusquely.

"Oh, Colonel, I'm not sure why I was connected through to you, as I was hoping to speak to my son," she replied.

"I'm afraid he and his squad are out on maneuvers and cannot be reached."

Melody sighed as she supposed this was just as good. "Then, maybe you can pass along a message to him when he is available?"

"Certainly. What is it?"

"Please let him know his father died last night," she said as bluntly as the Colonel's words.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Being in the shit for as long as I have dulls one's ability to manage civil conversations," the man said humbly. "I-uh expect you'll be wanting him home—"

"No, Colonel. He can stay where he's the happiest, with his team. Just let him know. And give him a message from me. Just, goodbye, little bird. He'll know what that means."

"You understand, I need to know as well," the Colonel said uncomfortably.

"Ah... it just means goodbye. I used to call him little bird. He was always eager to move on from his parent's lives. To leave the nest permanently. He finally did, but I never accepted that or even said goodbye. He's found a new home in the army, and he needs to know there are no more ties to hold him back. I just want him to be happy."

There was a pause then the Colonel cleared his voice. "You understand, your son doesn't really process happy. I think content is the most accurate term. He is content."

"That's good. Very good. Thank you, Colonel. Goodbye."

She hung up and allowed herself a few tears for the second ending she'd endured today.

Once she recovered, Melody dabbed her eyes and took some deep breaths. Her mind spun when she considered all the changes that happened in the brief interval of a long weekend. Her life had been changed in ways she could never have foreseen, but she truly believed those changes were going to profoundly improve her happiness. It was true that she was going to have to fight to keep some of them, but that was a challenge she was up for, as it gave her purpose and hope.

But most of all, love.

The room was quiet except for the radio, the station once more softly playing a familiar tune.