Coming Home (18 page)

***

"I think you
should go to hospital." Essie fussed over him. Kate had managed to get him
into the house with the help of the farm hands and he was lying on the couch in
the front room. His foot was propped up high on cushions and Cade lay back, his
gaze on Kate as she stood at the end of the couch watching him.

"Just give me
something to drink, Essie. I have painkillers upstairs beside my bed. Russ can
give me something stronger when he gets home."

"Painkillers and
alcohol don't mix, you should know that."

"Stop fussing. I
know what I'm doing." Cade was furious with himself and taking it out on
the people who meant the most to him wasn't making him feel any better.
"Just be a love and get me a drink. Kate, can you run upstairs and grab
the pills beside my bed, please?"

She turned and walked
away, her footsteps pounding up the stairs before she walked into the room
above his head. Her boots were muffled as she hurried across the carpeted room
and then the tap on wood as she ran back down again.

He held his hand out
for the packet she carried. "Thanks, much appreciated." Cade grimaced
at the glass of water Essie passed over. "Don't let me hold either of you
up any longer. I'm sure you both have a lot to do." Through half closed
eyes, he watched the women share a glance and hesitate before leaving him
alone.

The sound of their
voices wounded him more than he thought possible. Cade, the football star, the
all round sporting hero lay half drunk on the sofa, incapable of upholding the
farce his life had been for so long. It was all over and he’d lost it in front
of the last person he wanted to see that he was infallible. He’d had a front to
keep up and now it was gone.

After a lousy day at
work, Russ was relieved to be home. He grabbed his briefcase, slammed his car
door harder than necessary and headed for the house. As he passed Kate's
cottage, the front door opened.

"Hi, Russ, can I
have a minute?"

She stood at the door
with the light from inside shining brightly into the dark night. He sighed. The
last thing he wanted was polite conversation. What he needed was a drink and his
bed. Russ turned to her, his briefcase in one hand and the other in his trouser
pocket toying with his car keys, trying to keep his agitation under control.
"What can I do for you, Kate?"

"It's not me that
needs help. It's your stupid brother." She headed out toward him.
"Silly fool tried to be a hero today when I was breaking in a young colt.
He jumped off the fence and did his leg in. I think he has done more damage to
his knee and won't go to hospital. He's waiting for you."

"What am I
supposed to do about it? He's a big boy. I can't make him do anything he
doesn't want."

"Can you at least
try, Russ? I feel responsible because he was trying to help me. It was kind of
sweet of him even if he is a jerk." She shrugged and looked at him with
hope in her eyes. "Can you please talk to him about getting it checked out
properly?"

"I'll see what I
can do, not that I can promise anything."

"Thanks,
Russ." She tucked a long red lock behind her ear. As she turned away, Kate
looked over her shoulder. "Good luck with him." She walked back to
her cottage, shutting the door behind her.

Russ sighed. After the
day he’d had, dealing with his younger brother wasn't appealing. He didn't need
the grief or someone else's problems. The lights in the kitchen were on when he
pushed the door open. The smell hit him before he saw the woman leaning over
the kitchen sink. Essie, his faithful Essie had cooked his favourite meal, Thai
beef curry. It was as though she knew the kind of day he'd had.

With gratitude, Russ
walked over and leaned his chin on the shoulder of the only woman who had never
let him down. "You are awesome."

"Bad day? You look
terrible, Russ. Are they working you too hard already?" She dried her
hands on the tea towel and turned to take his dinner from the oven. Walking
over to the island bench, Essie placed the hot plate on a mat and told him to
sit.

He leaned on the bench
and looked at the meal in front of him. "Everyone else in bed
already?"

"Yes, Rooney had
an early night with the little one. It was Tam's first day of school and she
was pretty worn out. You need to eat your meal and t go and sort Cade
out.
Kate is worried about him, Russ. He came to her rescue today and she's worried
he’s hurt himself more than he's letting on."

"Yes, I know, she
stopped me on the way in." He took a succulent piece of beef and popped it
into his mouth, delighting in the flavours. He swallowed before looking across
at her. "You know he won't listen to me, he never has." Russ speared
another piece of meat and scooped up some rice. He ate and thought at the same
time. "I suspect there is more to his injury than he was letting on
anyway. From the amount of pain he’s in makes me think he’s holding back on
us."

"Well, that may be
but the fact is, he has injured himself again and you need to go and talk some
sense into him. Try and get him upstairs into his own bed too. I don't approve
people sleeping on the couch when a perfectly good bed is right upstairs."

He scooped up the last
piece of meat and lined up his knife and fork before pushing the plate away.
"Thank you, Essie, I needed that."

She came over and sat
in front of him. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

Russ sighed and leaned
his arms on the counter top. "I had a visitor at the hospital today. My ex
fronted up and announced to all and sundry I'm not divorced after all."
His gut twisted with pain. "Seems as though she’s decided not to sign the
papers. I hadn't given it a thought once I'd done my bit and sent them
back."

"Why would she do
that to you? Isn't she the one who initiated proceedings in the first
place?" Essie frowned.

Russ reached over and
patted her hand. "Yes, she did. But apart from finding out about Father
dying and thinking there was something in it for her, she is pregnant."

If it wasn't so
serious, the look of shock on Essie's face would have made him laugh out loud.

"Oh dear, well, I
suppose you'll have to help support the little one then. You can't turn your
back on a child, Russ."

"It's not mine,
Essie. I know that for a fact. My wife and I haven't slept together for months.
I suspected she was having an affair but I didn't want to deal with it. Now I
have to." He stood and walked over to pour himself a glass of water.
Leaning against the bench, he drained the glass and left it on the sideboard.
"I've asked Tory to try and sort something out with her lawyer. She won't
be coming here, as much as she would like to. If she gets her foot in the door,
we won't be able to get rid of her."

"Well, if she
comes knocking, I'll send her on her way then." Essie stood and smoothed
down her apron. "Now, how about you go and sort out that brother of
yours."

Russ pushed the door
open and walked into the hallway. The sounds of snoring came from the front
room and he walked to the door to look in. Cade lay on his back on the couch,
his leg propped up on a cushion and a blanket covering him.

Beside the couch an
empty whiskey bottle lay on its side, next to it, a pill bottle. Russ walked
over and crouched down to retrieve it. Reading the label, he looked down at
Cade and shook his head.

"Bloody
fool."

"Whas that?"
Cade slurred and opened his eyes. "Russh, the hero hash returned."

"What the hell
have you done to yourself this time? You’re looking for trouble, Cade."

"Bull. I was jusht
helping our Kate. Damned horse wash going to stomp her. What was I shupposed to
do?" He threw off the blanket, letting it slip to the floor. When he tried
to sit up and swing his legs down, Cade cried out in pain.

Russ put his arm out,
pushing him back. "Stay there and let me have a look at you." When
his brother complied, Russ gave him a quick examination, not liking what he
found.

"Listen up, mate,
I need you to focus on what I'm saying." He waited for the nod. "When
you fell, did it feel as though you tore the ligament or just pulled it some
more?"

"I'm not sure. It
just hurt like hell."

Russ lifted the leg and
with gentle hands, tried to flex it. "You have some movement in
there." He placed it back down again and stood up. "You have two
choices. Go to hospital now and see whoever is on call or wait for me to come
in tomorrow. Either way, you will have to have scans and probably go to Sydney
to have it properly assessed."

"Can't you just
give me more drugs and let me be?"

"With the amount
of whiskey you’ve had today, no. Now, do you want me to call an ambulance or
help you upstairs to bed?"

"Leave me
here."

"No. You can't
exactly stretch out and get a decent rest here, besides Essie wants you in your
own bed." Russ blinked his eyes rapidly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Hurry up and make up your mind, I've had enough crap today to last me for
a lifetime and I'm kind of short on patience right now."

"Ooh, big brother
is snappy today. What's the matter, nurse turn you down, did she?"

"Cade, do you want
to go in now or not?"

"No."

Russ leaned down and
picked up the crutches before he slipped his arm under Cade’s shoulders. He
helped him stand and walk, guiding him to the old lift under the recess of the
stairs. Taking a key from hook up near the top of the door, he unlocked the
lift.

"This old thing
will break down half way up, then we'll be stuck there all night like dear old
Aunty May." Cade leaned against the staircase and watched Russ pull the
iron door open.

"Unlike her, I
have my phone in my pocket. Get in."

Cade hobbled in and
leaned in the corner for the short ride up to the next level. When Russ opened
the door, he hobbled out and went straight to his room. "Going to tuck me
in, big brother?"

Russ followed him in
and looked around the room. The smell of alcohol hung in the air and he opened
the window, letting in the sounds of the night and a soft breeze. The bed was
unmade so he pulled back the top blanket and smoothed down the sheets.
"There, you can tuck yourself in. I'll leave here about 8am. If you want
me to take you in, be ready."

Cade blew him a kiss as
he passed.

Russ stood in his room
and put his finger in his tie, pulling it loose. He threw it on the chair
beside the open window and undid the buttons on his white shirt. Shrugging it off
his shoulders, he let it drop to the floor before leaning on the window sill.
The sheer net curtains blew around his shoulders as he gazed out into the night
letting the breeze roll over his naked torso.

Hiring a private
detective to find some dirt on his ex-wife was going to cost him what cash he
had left in the bank, but it would be worth it. Tory had already called her
solicitor and relayed Russ's final instructions. If she insisted on staying
married, Russ would dig and find out everything she had done over the last four
years they’d been married. Their bank accounts would be scrutinised for any
indiscretion she may have made using joint funds and if he could tie her to
another man, he would.

The only thing irking
Russ was the innocent child she claimed she was carrying. If he could smooth
things over with Lizzie, he would but deep down he knew it would take more than
he had to give to win her over. Another man might take up the challenge but for
now Russ was too down-trodden to even attempt it.

He stepped away from
the window and undid the buckle on his trousers letting them fall in a heap
with his shirt and walked to the bed. He pulled down the top blanket and eased
himself down on the cool sheets, too tired to deal with the way his wife was
treating him. Russ closed his eyes and prayed for sleep to take away the
horrors he’d faced at work and with his brother. There had to be a better
outcome for him somewhere after all the crap he had already taken from Paula.
He couldn't face anymore.

Rooney drove into the
car park and smiled at the sign hanging outside near the letterbox. Her own
business at last. She hurried over and unlocked the front door, pausing to look
at the way she had set it out with Rhian yesterday. Everything had arrived
except a few supplies she could do without for the time being.

A battered old ute
drove in and pulled up right at the door. Rooney glanced over and waited to see
if it was a patient or something else. The door opened and a man in grubby
overalls climbed out and slammed the door. "You the new vet?" He
glowered at Rooney.

"Yes, I am. How
can I help you?" She came forward and looked into the back of the vehicle,
spotting an old wire cage. Inside a small dog cringed in a corner, its rusty
brown fur matted with dirt and blood from what looked like a badly torn leg.