Coming Home (16 page)

"What do you want
me to say? Huh, tell me that?"

Russ watched his
brother lift the bottle again. "Tell me what they said, how bad is the
injury? I only know what they said on the sports news."

"I have no fucking
idea, alright? They might tell me tomorrow when I go to Sydney, they might not.
A law unto themselves, frigging doctors."

"Did you want someone
to go with you?"

"I don't need
anyone holding my hand. Now fuck off and leave me alone. I can handle my own
life."

Russ walked away, sad
to see what had become of his brother. Heaven forbid they should give him bad
news tomorrow. If what Lizzie said was true, they could all be in for a rough
ride with Cade and his foul mood swings.

"Come in,
Cade." The specialist held the door open and Cade hobbled in. "Take a
seat on the bed please and put your leg up for me." He shut the door and
walked over to his desk, opening the file on his laptop. "Hmmm, I have
some scans here but they don't show too much improvement."

"It feels much
better, 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 much
better you really are." The doctor undid the brace and dropped it to the
floor.

He lifted and bent the
leg, twisted it and prodded while he frowned and muttered to himself. When he
released the leg, Cade breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hurts, doesn't
it? No point trying to pull one over me, you know. I'm not sending you back
onto the field until I'm a hundred percent convinced you’re okay."

"Can't you just
operate 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 pretty
close to it. Surgery will achieve nothing and we've already talked about
this."

"Doc, I have to
play again. This could be the end of my career." He shuddered as the cold
chill settled down his spine. "I'm not ready to give it up yet."

"I understand
that, but you have to look at things from my point of view. If I send you out
again 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's
only been a few weeks but I would think we’d see more of an improvement by
now." He looked up. "Have you been doing what I instructed, keeping
it up and iced? Using your crutches at all times?"

Cade grunted in reply.

"I want you to
rest it totally and see how we go. If there is no improvement the next time you
see me, we can talk about our options then."

Disappointment simmered
in Cade’s stomach. He managed to keep it down while the doctor strapped the
cast back on and wrote him up a prescription for an anti-inflammatory to help
with the swelling.

"Come back in two
weeks and if things haven't improved, I'll have to contact your coach."

Cade hobbled out of the
doctor's office, the frustration eating at his stomach. By the time he made it
down to the car park and was sitting inside his car, he was at boiling point.

He slammed his hands on
the steering wheel and yelled out his denial. Tears of disappointment and anger
ran down his cheeks unheeded.
One fucking hit. That was enough to ruin my
career.
I have at least three more years in me, I know I do. Damned
specialists, they know nothing, nothing!

He opened the glove box
and 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 of
the alcohol giving his churning stomach a numbness to match his brain.

When the bottle was
empty, he threw it on the floor before starting the engine and peeling out onto
the busy main road. Ignoring usual driver courtesy, he dove in and out of the
lines of traffic along the city streets. Mindless of where he was going, Cade
drove on auto pilot until he found himself at his home-ground rugby club.

He parked his car and
got out, gazing around. Today the place looked deserted with just a couple of
cars parked near the main entrance. With his crutches under his arms, he
hobbled over and worked his way inside to the dressing rooms. The lights were
out and the place was deathly quiet.

Feeling the need to get
out on the turf once more, Cade headed down the tunnel toward the stream of
bright sunshine. The last time he was here was when they’d driven him out on a
stretcher. The drone of the caretaker’s lawnmower reached his ears and he
looked around. To not be able to come out on this field in his home colours
would be the worst thing he could possibly imagine.

"Cade, thought you
might come over." The head coach slapped him on the back and came around
to stand beside him. "Doc just called me. Not looking too good,
mate."

"Quick, wasn't he?
Don't worry about it just yet, Tommo. I've come back before and I'll come back
again. Just you wait and see." He flexed his leg out in front of him as
though it would make a difference.

"You have to
remember you are older now than you were the last time you took a knock like
that." Tommo shook his head. "Cade, I love you man, really I do. You
are one of my best players but your body won't heal as good as it did when you
were a kid. I want you to be prepared for the fact that this might be it for
you, as much as I hate to say it."

"Rot! Doc has
given me another couple of weeks off, then we’ll see." Cade flashed a
smile at the coach. "If you’re thinking of writing me off now, think
again. The Cade Machine will be back, don't want to let my fans down."

"Let's wait and
see then. Make sure you rest up properly and stop walking around on that leg
when it should be up." He took a step closer and lowered his voice.
"Watch the drinking and driving too. The bosses won't take another
incident like the last one. You’re skating on thin ice, buddy. Be
careful."

The coach walked back
down the tunnel and left him standing alone. The emptiness settled in Cade’s
chest, leaving him with the gut-wrenching notion that this could easily be the
last time he would stand on this hallowed ground.

"Thanks guys, I
appreciate the way you got here so quickly." Rooney signed off on the
telephone installation and watched the servicemen pack up the tools and walk to
their truck. Now she had a phone line, she could hook up her internet. Over the
weekend, Rooney had purchased the equipment and supplies she needed to open her
doors. With luck, it would start arriving today and she would be working this
week.

The last couple of days
were hard work but it had paid off. The walls shone and the dirty grey tiled floor
was surprisingly cleaner now she’d scrubbed the years of neglect from it. Russ
had helped her bring shelves and a desk out of storage from home for her
office. They also added comfortable chairs to the front room which now looked
comfortable and homely.

The stainless steel
workbenches had come up shiny and new with some elbow grease, and the only
thing she lacked after her supplies was patients. Hopefully the word would get
out and she would get a steady stream of people dropping in.

Kate had helped by
doing up a flyer which had gone through the post to all the surrounding areas.
She’d also done an email to all of the contacts in the address book Rooney had
found in the paperwork the last vet had left behind. There weren't any entries
in the last couple of years he’d owned the business but it was all she had. Now
it was a case of sit and wait to see if anyone wanted her services.

As the truck pulled out
of her driveway, a small red sedan pulled in. Rooney stood at the door and
waited to see who it was. The car door opened and a young woman in jeans and a
loose white blouse climbed out, lifting her hand in greeting.

"Rhian? Rhian
Walker, is that you?" Rooney skipped down the stairs and across the car
park with her arms open wide to embrace her old school friend. "Oh my
goodness, you look terrific. How are you?"

"Fabulous now I've
seen you." She pushed back and looked at Rooney with a huge grin on her
face. "Kate told me you were here and I just had to come out and see
you." She slipped her arm through Rooney's and together they walked
inside. "Tell me all about it. We have years to catch up on."

"Let me make you a
coffee and we can do that. It is so good to see you again." Rooney brushed
away a tear before it fell down her cheeks. "I've missed you so much."

"Likewise. When
you left, I was heartbroken. Nobody knew where you were, Stevie wasn't talking.
It drove me crazy." She followed Rooney into the small kitchen and leaned
on the bench while she filled the kettle.

"I'm sorry. I know
I should have kept in touch but things just didn't turn out the way I'd
planned. I owe everyone a big apology for that." She smiled again.
"You look terrific."

Rhian ran her hand over
her stomach, showing off a small swell. "This is why. I feel terrific. I'm
having a baby and we are so pleased."

"Oh my, I never
noticed the ring. Congratulations Rhian, I'm so happy for you. Who did you
marry?" She turned to add boiling water to the cups, holding up the sugar.

"No not for me
thanks. Just black." Rhian took the mug and walked back out to the
reception area and took a seat leaning back comfortably. "Do you remember
Dennis Hines? The tall, dark and gawky kid who never said boo?"

"Yes, of course I
do. He had eyes for you and you used to ignore him. I often felt sorry for
Dennis." Rooney smiled at the memories that came flashing back, of them
all swimming in the dam while Dennis sat quietly under the weeping willow trees
watching and biding his time until he could speak to Rhian.

"Yes well, he was
determined and I finally went on a date with him. We've been stuck together
like glue ever since. We got married a couple of years ago."

"Oh, I'm so happy
for you. Say hi to him for me, won't you?"

"I will. He knew
you were here anyway. I think Stevie told him. So, about the man, are you going
to hook up with him or have you found yourself a husband while you were
away?"

Rooney looked down at
her coffee and wondered how much to tell. If Stevie found out before she told
him herself, there would be hell to pay and that was understandable.

"Look, you don't
have to worry about me saying anything to Dennis. Girl’s honour, anything and
everything will be between us as always. That hasn't changed, Rooney."

"Sorry. I have my
reasons for being a bit cautious. I owe Stevie a decent conversation but when
he rocked up here the other night, it didn't feel right. I gather you know what
happened, how Dad found us?"

Rhian nodded.

"Well, he belted
me. God, how he laid into me. I still have the scars across my butt from his
leather belt. Anyway, stupid us for being caught. Fact is, I got the biggest
dose of rejection because Stevie grabbed his pants and ran away into the dark,
leaving me to take everything the old man dished out. He didn't even try to
defend me."

"Honey, we all
know what your father was like. I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but he
wasn't nice. He hated your boyfriend but I understand what you mean. It was
kind of spineless to leave you there to take it all on your own." She
drained her coffee mug and placed it on the small table in front of the chairs.

"Well, anyway I
headed to Cade’s first. I didn't know where else to go. That got rather
sickening after a couple of days with all his girlfriends coming and going, and
the parties. It just wasn't what I wanted so I headed to Brisbane, found a job
and settled down." She took a breath and decided whether or not to tell
all.

"I hated waiting
tables but the money was good, then I heard about a job as a trainee vet nurse.
It sounded exactly what I wanted, and they loved me. Loved me so much the
darling couple who owned the business pushed me to go to university and study
to become a vet myself."

Rhian smiled and licked
her bottom lip. "What aren't you telling me here?"

"I'd forgotten you
could read me like a book."

"Anyone can if
they know you well enough, honey."

"It wasn't until
I’d already started my course I found out I was pregnant. Funny hey, four
months along and I didn't have a bloody clue. Anyway, Pete and Julie looked out
for me and helped where they could. It was tough, really tough but I wanted to
give my baby a good life and that meant I had to work."

"Oh hell, why
didn't you get in touch with me? I could have helped you."

Rooney winced at the
look of rejection on her friend’s face. "How? Seriously, how could you have
helped me? Not saying you wouldn't, but you were the same age as me. I couldn't
come home, Dad would have killed me and Stevie. It was easier to stay where I
was and things just chugged along, as they do. I would probably still be there
if Dad hadn't died."

Rhian gave her a wobbly
smile. "I'm sorry. I know you probably did the right thing but I wish I’d
been there for you." She wiped her fingers under her eyes and sniffed.
"Have you told Stevie yet?"

Rooney took a deep
breath. "No, no I haven't. I will, because it’s only right he knows about
Tam. I just have to find the right moment."

"You will, honey,
trust me. I know you’ll do the right thing. Now where is that child? I want to
meet her."

"First day of
school today. She was so excited and nervous too. You should come over to the
house for coffee and catch up with everyone again." Rooney looked up as a
small van pulled into the driveway. "Looks like I have my first delivery.
Hang on a minute."