by Leesa Bow
Two days later I was sitting in the hospital room waiting for Mum to come out of recovery. I’d picked up an umpteen number of magazines to flick through while passing the time. I’d glanced at the clock a zillion times. The nurse had said Mum would be back around midday and it was now after one. My phone vibrated with a message from Hunter.
Heard anything?
Hunter had remained at my house waiting for the new bed to be delivered. He’d received a call that it would arrive Friday instead of Saturday. That damn bed annoyed me even more as I’d rather have him here with me. Yet it surprised me that in three weeks of being a couple, I’d already come to rely heavily on him for support. I tapped a reply to his text.
No. Still waiting. When will you get here?
His reply came through quickly.
As soon as the bed is here.
I sighed and picked up one of the magazines I’d already read.
‘Ms Taylor?’ a voice asked. I glanced up to a nurse standing at the door.
‘Yes.’ I stood from the chair.
‘Your mum is on her way from recovery. She’s doing fine. It took longer than expected because she reacted badly to the anaesthetic. The recovery nurse has administered medication and she’s now feeling better. Don’t be alarmed that she’s groggy and not up to talking. She just needs to rest.’
I nodded. ‘Thank you.’
A short time later Mum arrived back in her room. As soon as the staff exited I grabbed her hand. ‘Mum,’ I whispered. ‘I’m here. Everything’s fine.’ Tears welled in my eyes. Her face looked pale, her lips dry and her nose looked sore with oxygen prongs positioned in her nostrils. My eyes followed the tubing of an intravenous drip needled into her other hand. Her eyes fluttered open.
‘Hey,’ I murmured. ‘You did it.’ Mum blinked slowly. ‘Are you in pain?’ She gently shook her head.
Another nurse walked into the room. ‘I need to do some observations on Mrs Taylor and check her bleeding. Do you mind waiting outside?’
‘Sure. How long before she wakes up enough to talk?’
‘Another hour or so and she’ll feel better. Why don’t you get yourself some lunch and come back then.’ She looked at me reassuringly. ‘She’s in good hands.’
I nodded. Mum and I had arrived at the hospital at seven this morning and I wasn’t able to stomach food because I was so anxious. It sounded like a good idea to eat something. I leaned over the bedrail and kissed Mum on the cheek. ‘I’ll be back after I get lunch.’
When I arrived at the cafeteria my phone vibrated with a message from Hunter.
I’m here. Where are you?
I replied.
In cafeteria on second level.
I stood in the long line and considered my choices. None of the hot food appealed to me, especially since my stomach was in knots. Just before being served, long arms wrapped around my waist. ‘Sorry I took so long,’ Hunter whispered into my ear.
I rested my head against his chest and my shoulders relaxed. ‘I’m so glad you’re here.’
And now everything would be fine.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
After ordering a latte, I sat at a table and waited for Maddy to arrive. I’d been looking forward to meeting up at our favourite cafe at the bay. I expected Mum to be discharged from hospital this afternoon and I hoped seeing Maddy would take my mind off her.
Long days in the hospital wards had left me exhausted. Mum was suffering from stomach and back pain and I felt useless not being able to help. She also cried a lot, a side effect from the surgery, the nurse reassured me. Yesterday I had held myself together through her tears, but I couldn’t keep up a brave face for much longer. Gran had offered to visit and help out with care. A major problem: Gran didn’t drive. I would’ve offered to pick her up, but that would’ve meant leaving Mum alone at home, which was out of the question for a few more days. Part of me hesitated about Gran seeing Hunter and I in the same bed. She was old-fashioned about those sorts of things.
‘Hey, girlfriend.’ Maddy almost bounced onto the seat. ‘How’s Helen?’
‘Recovering slowly.’ I shook my head. ‘I didn’t think she’d be in this much pain.’
‘Does she have adequate pain relief?’ Maddy studied my face.
‘She’s only having mild medication because she’s allergic to some of the stronger drugs. I feel so helpless.’ I closed my eyes and slowly opened them again.
‘It’s only been three days.’
‘I’m supposed to take her home today. I’m really worried about her.’ I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the tension headache that refused to budge.
‘I think you’ll find she’s brighter today.’ She reached out and patted my hand. ‘How’s Hunter?’
‘Wonderful.’ I smiled. ‘But he watched the footy final with the boys yesterday while I was at the hospital and then seemed quieter than usual last night. I think something’s going on with him. And on Tuesday he had some meeting, which was weird because his teammates didn’t go. He wasn’t gone long, just over an hour but . . .’ I shrugged.
‘What do you mean?’ Maddy arched her eyebrows.
I sighed. ‘He’s been different. I know I haven’t been my usual self, but this morning he seemed to be in a daze. Something’s troubling him. There were a couple of phone calls late last night and he wouldn’t talk in front of me. He went to another room.’
‘I wouldn’t worry.’ Maddy waved her hand. ‘He’s totally whipped.’ She smiled and her bright-blue eyes twinkled, just like her cousin’s.
The waitress delivered Maddy’s coffee. I took a sip of mine, thinking about what Maddy had said and hoped she was right. I had enough to fret about with Mum. Then it dawned on me. Maybe that’s why Hunter had clammed up. He didn’t want to burden me with his problems. I sipped the warm liquid and closed my eyes. Coffee to me was like heroin to an addict.
‘I have some news,’ Maddy said in a high voice. ‘You’d never guess who I ran into last night?’
‘Where?’ I asked.
‘At the Towers nightclub. I watched the footy final and went out afterwards.’ She tilted her head and looked at me as though I should have known.
‘I honestly would have no clue,’ I said each word slowly.
‘Luke.’ She smiled.
‘Holy shit. You didn’t get into an argument, did you?’ I sat forward in my chair.
‘Nah. We actually talked, like really talked.’ She drank her coffee and eyed me as she swallowed.
‘Oh.’ Maddy had that look in her eyes that made me suspicious. ‘And?’
‘We had a bit of a laugh about me hitting his car —’
‘Oh, so you admit to it now,’ I teased.
She waved her hand at me. ‘He’s pretty darn hot.’
‘I know,’ I said with enthusiasm. I stared at her face. ‘Oh my God, you slept with him!’
‘I hate it when you assume that.’ She narrowed her eyes accusingly at me.
‘Did you?’
‘Well yes, but that’s not the point.’ She folded her arms across her chest.
I couldn’t help but grin. ‘He comes from a very nice family.’
‘Family? Christ, Aubree I only slept with him.’
My head jerked a little at her response and I acknowledged how greatly our views differed when it came to sleeping with men. ‘Are you planning on seeing him again?’
‘Maybe, I’m not sure. We have each other’s phone numbers and addresses.’ She grinned cheekily.
‘Oh, for insurance purposes,’ I acknowledged.
Then I thought of BJ. ‘What about you and BJ?’
Maddy looked at me as though I was odd. ‘Oh, we both knew it wasn’t going to last. Just a bit of fun at the time.’
She raised her chin. ‘I’m heading to the gym tonight. I have motivation. Want to come?’
‘Can’t. Maybe Wednesday if Mum’s feeling better.’
Maddy nodded. ‘I’ll call you.’
Gran had phoned several times to ch
eck on Mum since I’d discouraged her from visiting. I’d promised to take Mum to see her on the weekend instead.
Although still sore and unable to do simple chores, Mum managed to get around the house and was well enough for me to be able to leave her at home alone. Hunter was leaving for Melbourne tomorrow. He’d remained unusually quiet the past few days, but I didn’t have the energy to deal with him and hoped the problem would soon pass.
When I received a text from Hunter, like always, my heart fluttered at seeing his name light up my screen.
Me and the guys are having dinner and a few drinks at the bay. Want to come join me?
It sounded like fun and part of me wanted to go, and yet a small piece of my heart sank that he preferred to be with the boys rather than me the night before his flight. Caring for Mum, I’d managed to keep my mind off his upcoming trip to Melbourne. I almost sighed at myself. Puppy love. The notion of us being apart made me pathetically sad, and until his text message, I’d believed he felt the same way. For a brief second I allowed my mind to race ahead, analyse the text.
Don’t do this to yourself.
So I decided to meet Hunter later, but first I made sure Mum was comfortable.
It was nine by the time I arrived at the bar, and since I heard Hunter and his mates before seeing them, and by the raucousness, it may as well have been midnight. I found Hunter without probing the crowd, wearing a blue shirt that highlighted his eyes.
‘Here’s my princess,’ Hunter called out as I walked towards them.
Princess? I almost choked. Apart from my mum calling me that as young child, it was a first. Hunter and four tall burly guys stood together, all with one elbow on the bar. Each held a beer, and their little pack attracted a swell of females. In a quick assessment I noticed the absence of Sabrina.
Phew.
With blond hair, blue eyes and bronzed skin, Glen Miller was known as the player, on and off the field. Rhett I was more acquainted with. The other two, Harri and Isaac, I’d only met once.
Hunter placed his beer on the bar and opened his arms for me to step into, closing them around me when I did.
‘I’ve missed you.’ He kissed the top of my head.
‘Aw, Hunter’s missed Aubree. What a sweetie,’ the guy I knew as Miller said. I gave him a look. ‘What is it, Princess? You miss the big fella, too?’ I heard a giggle burst from a couple of girls behind me, and refused to turn and give them any attention.
‘Fuck off, Millsy,’ Hunter warned.
‘Are you drunk?’ I asked Hunter. I wiped my sweaty hands over my black dress.
‘No, Princess. Only had a few.’
I narrowed my eyes at him. ‘Yes, you are, and quit calling me Princess. What’s with drinking beer? Are you celebrating something?’
‘As a matter of fact we are.’ Hunter slurred his words. ‘It’s Millsy’s birthday.’
I nodded. ‘How long have you been here?’
‘Since four. Come here.’ He pinched my rear and I yelped. I turned and frowned at him. ‘I love that butt.’
Still rubbing my rear, I glared at Hunter. ‘What has gotten into you?’
‘Millsy,’ I heard a girl say, playfully stretching out the word. I turned and gasped. She looked around seventeen and not old enough to be in a bar. She wore a pink strapless top, short black skirt, and heels high enough to break a neck. Long black hair framed her pretty face. Why she was hanging around with these guys was beyond me. Apart from the fact that they played football, nothing else appealed tonight. Even conversation seemed a waste of time.
Millsy pulled the girl to his side and whispered in her ear. His other hand slipped under the band of her skirt and tickled her stomach. She giggled and tripped, Millsy catching her before she hit the ground.
So she was as drunk as the guys.
I paid for a glass of lemonade and turned to Hunter. ‘I’m not really in the mood to stay out tonight. I hoped you might have an early night too, since you’re leaving in the morning.’
Hunter laughed at something Rhett had said. He looked at me. ‘What? Oh, I can’t. Promised Millsy we’d stay out with him tonight.’
I didn’t like Millsy. ‘What about your early flight?’
‘The boys reckon I should head straight to the airport after town.’
‘After town?’ I repeated in a high voice, my heart racing like a driver in a high-speed chase.
Hunter pulled me in close. ‘Yeah. You don’t mind, do you?’
Yes.
My stomach dropped to the floor. I shrugged. ‘If that’s what you want to do. I mean, I won’t see you until Friday.’
‘I promise I’ll make it up to you, Prin—we’ll stay in bed the whole weekend.’ Before I could say, ‘That wasn’t what I was thinking,’ Rhett and Millsy overheard and whistled.
‘Can’t stand a night without the big fella, eh.’ Millsy groped Hunter’s groin. Hunter jerked away to protect himself, grinning ear to ear.
‘Yeah, you guys know my talent.’
His talent! My mouth fell open and yet I couldn’t make a sound.
‘That’s why he gets the “best on ground” awards.’ Rhett made a thrusting action behind Millsy and they both acted out pathetic moans. More giggling.
First, blood rushed to my cheeks. Then anger grew in my chest like a pressure cooker. ‘That does it. I’m leaving.’
‘Aubree,’ Hunter whined and grabbed me so tight that I couldn’t move. ‘The guys are just having a joke. They’re not serious. Jealous because I get BOG awards for football and . . .’ He pushed his hips into me.
Arrogant son of a . . . ‘You’re not funny.’ I glared at him. ‘I really don’t want to be here.’
‘Just stay a bit. Please.’ He used his puppy eyes against me. Even drunk, it was useless to fight him. I nodded and he stepped back, leaned on the bar.
When I turned, Millsy had the young girl in his embrace in a lewd display of PDA.
Eww.
I glanced at her friend, who looked as awkward as me. ‘Hey, I’m Aubree.’
She smiled. ‘Stella. And my friend’s name’s Ellen.’ She pointed at the girl with Millsy and rolled her eyes.
‘Does she know him?’
‘Knows he’s a footballer,’ Stella groaned.
Oh shit.
‘She doesn’t normally do this sort of thing. She’s really drunk.’
Double shit.
I nodded in understanding. ‘Be a good friend and don’t let her do something she’ll regret.’ Like something I regretted in London, getting totally off my face and losing my virginity to some wanker.
‘What are you saying?’ Hunter leaned over my shoulder.
‘We’re talking about Ellen being drunk. I don’t think it’s wise she stays here with Millsy in her condition.’
Hunter’s brow tightened. ‘She doesn’t have a condition, Aubs. They’re having a bit of fun, that’s all. Stay out of it.’ He gave me a fierce look, and the fact that he’d been drinking alcohol made him even scarier.
There was a scream, people stumbled and a beer splashed over my feet. More giggles. Gross. I shook my leg and groaned.
What the hell was I doing here? Having fun . . .
More pushing from behind landed me closer to Millsy. His hands were all over Ellen and it made me sick to the stomach.
‘Screw me if I’m wrong, but I believe you bought me a present?’ Anyone standing close wouldn’t have heard his low voice, except I wasn’t drinking and had tuned in, feeling some kind of responsibility towards Ellen.
‘No, I didn’t know.’ Her hand went to her mouth, realising.
He chuckled low. ‘Damn glad you didn’t.’ He placed one hand behind her neck while holding a beer in the other, and kissed her.
‘Hunter.’ I grabbed his arm. ‘Please don’t let Ellen make the biggest mistake of her life.’
‘What are you talking about?’ he said through clenched teeth. I nodded in their direction. ‘You’re paranoid. Stay out of it,’ he warned again.
‘I can’t watch.’ I grabbed my bag and took off in the direction of the restrooms, my head spinning, not knowing what I should do. I washed my hands in the basin, remembering my experience and how I’d wished someone had helped me. Although, because I was drunk, I probably wouldn’t have appreciated help at the time. I sighed. I was older, wiser . . .
When I stepped out into the long hallway, I saw two figures leaning against the wall.
I gasped. From my angle I could tell that Millsy had his hand up Ellen’s skirt. She was squirming against the wall. ‘You like that, do you?’
I stormed up to him. ‘This is not appropriate here.’
He pulled away from Ellen and she stumbled, moaning.
‘Go back to Hunter,’ he snarled.
I looked at Ellen. She swiped hair off her face, endeavouring to stand straight. ‘Hi.’ She smiled and stumbled again.
‘Do you know what you’re doing, Ellen?’
‘Yes.’ She frowned at me. ‘What?’
Millsy shot me a look.
‘I don’t think you do,’ I said, keeping my voice low.
Millsy pulled Ellen to his side. ‘What’s it got to do with you? Just because you’re with Hunter . . .’
‘Don’t judge me.’ My hands trembled as anger and fear washed over me.
He laughed in a way that sent shivers through me. ‘Yet you’re judging me.’
‘Stop it,’ Ellen screamed at me. She turned her head into Millsy’s chest and whimpered.
‘Aubree?’ I turned to see Hunter standing at the other end of the hallway. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Get this crazy bitch out of here.’ Millsy frowned at me.
In a second Hunter was by my side. ‘What are you doing? I told you to stay out of it.’
‘Get her out of here, mate.’
I stormed off, stopping at the end of the hallway. ‘Thanks for your support.’ I clenched my teeth. ‘Am I the only one who knows what’s going on?’
Hunter crossed his arms over his chest. ‘What’s going on?’
‘He’s forcing her.’ I pointed at Ellen. My chest tightened, remembering.
Hunter pulled me away. ‘They’re two consenting adults, Aubree.’