He risked a glance herway as he drove off. She stood where he’d left her, a look of regret on herface.
On the way home, Russdebated with himself about what he thought was the right move. If he’d stayedany longer, it would’ve been difficult to leave. Lizzie was different. She gavethe appearance of being self-assured as one in a position as she was, but hewondered if it was a front she used to keep people especially men, at arm'slength. The way she had reacted to his kiss goodnight made him think there wasmore to her than she said. He aimed to find out more about Nurse LizzieStanley.
When he drove up to thehouse, the lights were still on, sparkling against the cloudless night. Russparked his car and walked up the yard from the barn, used to the track from themany nights of being outside after lights out.
"So Romeoreturns." Cade sat in the back garden on a stone bench under a Jacarandatree. "Good date, brother?" He slurred and lifted the bottle to hislips, taking a long drink.
"Yes I did,thanks." Russ stopped in front of his brother. "So what is it thistime, a celebration or just your normal drinking to deal with life?"
"Fuck off, Russ.You have no idea what's going on in my life."
"So tell me then.You aren't doing yourself any favours getting drunk every night, mate."
"Why don't youmind your own bloody business, brother?" Cade glared at him before takinganother swig from the bottle. "I can drink when I want to."
"Is theresomething you want to talk about, Cade? Maybe what's happening with your leg?So far you haven't said anything."
"What do you wantme to say? Huh, tell me that?"
Russ watched hisbrother lift the bottle again. "Tell me what they said, how bad is theinjury? I only know what they said on the sports news."
"I have no fuckingidea, alright? They might tell me tomorrow when I go to Sydney, they might not.A law unto themselves, frigging doctors."
"Did you want someoneto go with you?"
"I don't needanyone holding my hand. Now fuck off and leave me alone. I can handle my ownlife."
Russ walked away, sadto see what had become of his brother. Heaven forbid they should give him badnews tomorrow. If what Lizzie said was true, they could all be in for a roughride with Cade and his foul mood swings.
Chapter Eighteen
"Come in,Cade." The specialist held the door open and Cade hobbled in. "Take aseat on the bed please and put your leg up for me." He shut the door andwalked over to his desk, opening the file on his laptop. "Hmmm, I havesome scans here but they don't show too much improvement."
"It feels muchbetter, doc." Cade turned on his charm and smiled.
"We’ll see. Right,let me get this brace off and we can go through a few exercises to see how muchbetter you really are." The doctor undid the brace and dropped it to thefloor.
He lifted and bent theleg, twisted it and prodded while he frowned and muttered to himself. When hereleased the leg, Cade breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hurts, doesn'tit? No point trying to pull one over me, you know. I'm not sending you backonto the field until I'm a hundred percent convinced you’re okay."
"Can't you justoperate like you did last time and get me back in the game?"
"I don't think so.You have done your medial collateral ligament this time. Not torn but prettyclose to it. Surgery will achieve nothing and we've already talked aboutthis."
"Doc, I have toplay again. This could be the end of my career." He shuddered as the coldchill settled down his spine. "I'm not ready to give it up yet."
"I understandthat, but you have to look at things from my point of view. If I send you outagain before that leg heals and you take another hit, you will be out for good.There will be no coming back. As it is, I don't really like your chances,Cade." The doctor washed his hands and walked back to his desk. "It'sonly been a few weeks but I would think we’d see more of an improvement bynow." He looked up. "Have you been doing what I instructed, keepingit up and iced? Using your crutches at all times?"
Cade grunted in reply.
"I want you torest it totally and see how we go. If there is no improvement the next time yousee me, we can talk about our options then."
Disappointment simmeredin Cade’s stomach. He managed to keep it down while the doctor strapped thecast back on and wrote him up a prescription for an anti-inflammatory to helpwith the swelling.
"Come back in twoweeks and if things haven't improved, I'll have to contact your coach."
Cade hobbled out of thedoctor's office, the frustration eating at his stomach. By the time he made itdown to the car park and was sitting inside his car, he was at boiling point.
He slammed his hands onthe steering wheel and yelled out his denial. Tears of disappointment and angerran down his cheeks unheeded. One fucking hit. That was enough to ruin mycareer. I have at least three more years in me, I know I do. Damnedspecialists, they know nothing, nothing!
He opened the glove boxand took out the small bottle of whiskey he kept stashed away for an emergency.Unscrewing the top, he tipped the golden liquid down his throat, the burn ofthe alcohol giving his churning stomach a numbness to match his brain.
When the bottle wasempty, he threw it on the floor before starting the engine and peeling out ontothe busy main road. Ignoring usual driver courtesy, he dove in and out of thelines of traffic along the city streets. Mindless of where he was going, Cadedrove on auto pilot until he found himself at his home-ground rugby club.
He parked his car andgot out, gazing around. Today the place looked deserted with just a couple ofcars parked near the main entrance. With his crutches under his arms, hehobbled over and worked his way inside to the dressing rooms. The lights
