Oswaldo's P.O.V

"Are you sure about this, Jessa, cause if it's too much for you I can stay home?"

Jessa gave me a stern look and shooed me with her hands.

"Get out of here now, young man, you deserve a night out. You're a good father, not many young men your age would readily accept the responsibility of a single dad. A night out is the lease you deserve."

Her face turn up, then she continued, "I might not think that that young lady of yours is right for you, but she too deserves a night out, so take her out and have some fun. Megan will be just fine with me."

I smiled at her, but I still didn't understand, what was it she had against Isabelle? From the moment she found out that we were dating, she expressed her disappointment.

"Son, she does not make your eyes light up, and your smile never reaches your eyes when you smile at her. If none of those things is happening then she is wrong for you."

Those were her words to me. I knew why those things never happened with Isabelle, but she didn't, did she?

I thanked Jessa once more then left the house. I got in my car and drove to the dorm to pick Isabelle up. I was in two minds about going to the club, one was I didn't want to leave Megan and the other way, I wasn't too keen on seeing Harmony because that would most definitely opened up old wounds.

As I pulled up to the dorms, I saw Isabelle hugging her best friend Hillary, just before she enter the car with her boyfriend, Ash. She then turn and wave at someone in another car, then both cars drove off, leaving her standing there.

She hadn't seen me as yet, I was parked a little away from her. I watched as she wrapped her hands around herself and looked around. I have to say she looked really beautiful. The pale pink dress that she was wearing hugged her body in all the right places. Her long blonde hair was left loose, flying it the evening wind.

I pocketed my phone which was sitting on the passenger seat and exited the car. She turned in the direction of the car, as I closed the door. She broke out into a smile when she saw me, and I smiled back.

"You look absolutely beautiful."

I leaned down and lightly kissed her lips. I could see that she wanted to deepen the kiss, but I pulled away. Her features flash disappointment before it was replaced with a smile.

"You ready to go?" I asked.

"Yep." She replied.

The drive to the club was done in awkward silence. It's not like we've never been out together before, it's just that there was always Megan with us. As I drove I thought back to the last time I saw Harmony and Connor. It was that same afternoon I visited Melody's parents'. I remember getting in my car and driving over to Connor's place.

"Where is she? And don't give me some half ass excuse. Megan needs her mother."

I asked the minute Harmony opened the door. She looked at me like I was crazy. Connor, hearing me shouting came to stand next to her.

"What are you talking about, she's not here. Isn't she at home?"

She stepped back from the door and I walked in. Megan was sleeping in her car seat, so I set her to one side. I was frustrated and upset, I couldn't take the running anymore, it wasn't fair on me and it wasn't fair on Megan.

I blew out a breath and ran my hand through my hair. Harmony waited patiently for me to answer her question. I sighed again and took a seat. Connor and Harmony followed suit.

"I went by her parents' house and they said that she left. Apparently, she needed a change of scenery."

I chuckled humourlessly.

"I'm so bad for her and she had to run and hide. And her parents let her, knowing that she wasn't only running from me, but from her daughter too. Or maybe they told her and she just doesn't care."

"Stop saying that, you know Deedee, if she had known about Megan she would never have left."

I wasn't sure what to believe anymore, my life had been one twisted plot after another. Whoever was writing my life story had a very sick sense of humour. I wished the author would put down the pen and go do something constructive with their own life and stop messing up mine!

"Do I? Do I really know anything about your cousin? Every second of every day she surprised the hell out of me. I never know what she's thinking or when she's gonna run."

I stood, getting ready to leave. "I just don't know how long I'll be able to keep up the chase."

I left that day and never looked back. I called Harmony and Connor a few time, but that was about it. I left everyone alone and try to live my life being a good father to Megan. But I never stopped looking for Melody.

We arrived at the club and I parked the car. I went round to the passenger side and opened the door for Isabelle. She smiled and said thank you. I looked at her, I mean really looked at her. Here was a girl who was making it clear that she was available and ready to start a serious relationship with me and I was busy trying to catch one who was doing a bloody good job of hiding from me.

I snaked my hands around her waist and pulled her to me. She looked up at me, her eyes widen and filled with heat and lust. I brought her lips to mine, then stared at her for a second longer, before my lips crushed down on hers. I decided right there that I was going to give whatever we had a chance, Isabelle deserved that much.

We enter the club and the music was loud. Bodies were moving to the music everywhere, it was so crowded that it took five minutes to make two steps. There was a private back room that the guys and I booked out for the night. I held Isabelle's hand and we made our way through the dancing drunks to the back room.

When we stepped through I could see that a most of the guys where there with their girls for the week. I looked around, but I couldn't see Jaxson.

"Hey man, you made it and hot damn!"

Delray said looking Isabelle over from head to toes as if she was a tall drink of water and he was thirsty. Funny enough, I didn't really feel any jealousy towards it that must be some kinds of sign, right? But what kinda boyfriend would I be if I didn't say something to Delray.

"Hey, you wanna stop looking at my girl like that."

I felt Isabelle shifted closer to me as I claimed her as my girl. I smiled down at her and she lovingly smiled back.

"Isabelle baby, if you ever get tired of this fool, call me. The things I could do to you."

Isabelle laughed. "In your dreams, Delray."

Delray licked his lips and gave her a lust filled look. "Always in my dreams baby, it's out of them I'm talking about."

I pushed passed him and thumped him behind the head. "Watch it Delray."

I took a seat on one of the long sofa pulling her onto my lap. From across the room I spotted Hillary and Ash kissing, it looked like it was getting really heated really fast. There was always another girl, a black girl, who sitting on the lap of Christian Halls, co-captain of the basketball team.

I frowned, looking around for Jaxson. One of the reasons I came to the club was to keep an eye on him and to keep some poor unsuspecting girl from getting date rape.

I could feel Isabelle grinding her ass on me, but I ignored it.

"Hey man," I asked Marvin, who sitting not too far from me, with his hand under some girl's skirt. "Where's Jaxson?."

Without taking his eyes off of the girl's breast, he answered. "He in the back somewhere, with this hot piece of ass. She supposed to be a nerd but, she cleaned up pretty nice. He about to get himself laid. I even heard through the grape vine that she's a virgin."

That pissed me off, I moved Isabelle off of my lap and stood. I then none too gently pulled Marvin away from the girl, who was now frowning.

"Hey bro, what'd you do that for, Felicity was about to give it up."

I ignored his pouted lost look. "Who know what Jaxson will do to that girl, I can't let him do that. If the girl wants to sleep with him it should be of her own freewill, not because some asshole drugged her!"

Everyone was looking at me know, I didn't even know that I was shouting.

"What do you mean, drug her?"

The girl who was sitting on Christian's lap ask. Her face a mass of panic.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Georgia, Meg is my friend and she's the one with Jaxson."

I nodded and turn to Marvin, "Where the hell is he?"

He looked like he didn't want to answer, but then thought better of it when he saw everyone was looking at him.

"There like a room in the back with a bed and shit, he took her in their a few minutes before you walk in."

I didn't wait for anything or anyone, I rushed down the long corridor until I found the room. I pushed the door and found Jaxson on top of a very small girl. He had his hand up her black dress and he was kissing her neck. The girl looked like she wasn't moving, but with careful inspection, I saw that she was weakly trying to push him off.

Without thinking, I grabbed him off of her, throwing him to one side of the room. He looked confused for a moment, but then anger set in and he came charging at me. I dodged him then grabbed him by his shirt, and started punching him. I didn't stop until I heard a very soft whisper saying,

"Richie?"

My body and my entire nervous system froze. I let go of Jaxson, letting him fall to the ground. I turned around slowly, daring to hope. I almost cry when I saw my baby, sitting up in the bed looking at me. Her makeup was smeared and there were fresh and dry tears on her face.

"Mel?" I said safely.

I couldn't believe that I was actually seeing her, I dreamt of the moment I'd get to see her and hold her again in my arms. Even with the tears and the smeared makeup she was still the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on.

I didn't know when I started walking, but I was suddenly on the bed next to her, scooping her up in my arms. The moment her body made contact with mine, it felt like home. I heard her sighed and I tightened my hold. I was so afraid to let her go, in case it was all the dream.

I was holding her. I was finally holding her in my arms. It felt like years since I last held her. She tried to hold me back, but her grip was very weak. Every time she lifted her arms the fell back to her side. It was then I remember that she was drugged.

I pulled back to look at her and saw that her eyes were half opened. And when I looked more closely, taking in her outfit, I notice that she was wearing a bodying hugging black dress that was ripped to the front. Her soft, smooth skin was exposed to the front, the tear was so bad it almost revealed her breast. It didn't escape my attention that she wasn't wearing a bra.

My eyes travel down her body and I saw that her dress was hiked up over her hips, revealing black lace panties. So much rage filled me when I thought about what Jaxson almost did to her. I was twitching to get the hell up and beat the crap out of him for even looking at her. But my first concern was here and the way she was looking, which was not good.

Her skin started to get really pale and her eyes closed even more. She was cold to the touch and shivering a bit. I didn't want her to close her eyes, I was afraid that whatever Jaxson give her, might have a really bad effect on her, like making her slip back into a coma. I just found her, there was no way I was letting her go again.

"Mel, stay with me, baby." I pleaded with a panic, "Open those beautiful eyes of your and look at me."

She opened them a bit them whispered, with trembling lips, "C-cold, r-really c-cold."

I looked around the bed and saw a blanked thrown to one side, so I grabbed it and wrapped her in it. When I was sure she wasn't shaking anymore, I fished my phone out of my pocket and dialled Harmony. She picked up after the third ring.

"Hello?"

She said and from all the music I was hearing in the back ground, I figured she was in the club. I sighed, relief.

"Har, I need your help. I'm in the club in the back room to the left down the hall..."

I paused for a bit then continued, "I've got Mel with me, she's been drugged, I don't know with what but it looks bad...please, bring Connor."

I heard her sucked in a breath, then relay all that I told her to Connor.

"We're coming."

"Hurry." Was all I said before I hang up. I forget about the others that were standing behind me, until someone asked, "Is she gonna be ok?"

I turned to face the girl, Georgia she said her name was, "I'm not sure. Do you have any idea what Jaxson give her?"

She shook her head and started crying, "It's all my fault, if I hadn't forced her to come with me, she never would have been drugged by that asshole."

I looked over at said asshole, but he was still lying unmoving on the ground where I left him. I felt like getting up and kicking his ass again, but I didn't want to leave Melody.

Georgia was still talking, "It was just supposed to be fun. She wasn't supposed to get hurt."

I frowned at her, "What are you talking about?"

She sniffed and wrapped her arms around herself. "Meg and I've been friends since we first started college together, she was always so reserved and by herself. In the entire year we were at Yale, I never saw her with a boyfriend and Jaxson was interested in her from the beginning. She always told him no, but he never gave up and I thought that he really liked her, you know?"

Yale! She been there for a whole year, right under my nose and I never saw her. I would have laughed, if I wasn't so pissed off.

Georgia continued, "I just thought that if she got to know him that she realise that he was a really nice guy and maybe lose her V-card alone the way. I never expected him to drug her."

I looked at her confused, "Her V-card?"

She blushed, looking ashamed. "Her, um...her virginity."

I shook my head and snorted, "Yeah well, been there done that."

Georgia eyes widen and she was about to say something, but at the moment Harmony and Connor came through the door.

"What's wrong with her?"

Harmony asked, coming to sit on the bed next to her. I had her wrapped up in the blanket and in my arms.

"She's been drugged." I answered.

"But how? Why?"

I didn't have time to answer all their questions that would have to wait until later. First, I needed to make sure she was ok.

"Ask questions later, right now we need to get her to a hospital."

"Don't worry about, a doctor is on his way here right as we speak."

I looked up at Connor and he nodded to me that was all the reassurance I needed. She sighed in my arms and I pulled her closer.

"I should have kept a closer eye on her, when I saw her earlier she was with her friends, so I thought she be safe."

My head shot up and I stared at her. "You knew where she was all this time."

She looked sad and guilty, but she faced me head on, "Yes, but only for a few months. She called me when she started remembering,"

She paused, looking at me to make sure that I understand. I understand all right, I understand that she knew where Melody was and she kept it from me. I looked down at Melody and frowned, if she remembered, why didn't she contacted me. It wasn't like I was hiding or anything, I made it clear to everyone where I was.

As if answering my unspoken question, Harmony spoke.

"She didn't come to you because she wasn't sure that you'd forgive her for running. And she didn't want to mess up your life if you had moved on."

"My life was already messed up, it's only Megan that kept me going."

I looked at Harmony suspiciously, "Does you know about Megan?"

She shook her head, "No, I never told her."

Unbelievable! What the hell was wrong with her entire family? I understand that they were trying to protect her, but keeping the fact that she had a daughter from her was wrong. She didn't need protecting from that fact, she needed to know that she was somebody's mother and that person needed her. Even if it was over between us, I wanted her to have a relationship with Megan.

The door to the room pushed open, and an old balding guy came into the room carrying a black doctor's bag, like the ones you see in those really old movies. Connor greeted him and pointed to Melody. The guy approached, and started to remove things from his bag.

"Can I have a look at her, son?

I wasn't too keen on letting her go, but I know that he needed to see what was wrong with her. Reluctantly I let go of her, placing her down on the bed. She looked so peaceful sleeping. Placing a tender kiss on her forehead I got up and let the doctor do his job.

I turned to everyone in the room, avoiding the look I was getting from Isabelle. I knew that we needed to talk, but I wasn't ready to have that discussion as yet.

"Maybe we should give the doc some room."

They all nodded and exited the room, walking back into the private room we were in earlier. I saw Marvin and Delray grabbed Jaxson as the left, I was grateful because if I had touched him, I probably would have killed him.

I took one last look at Melody then I left to join the others.