Page 34 of Doc Defence

“Ha ha.” She gave a very fake laugh.

Frost felt bad. He hadn’t meant to make her uncomfortable. “Sorry. Bad night. That was uncalled for.”

“It’s okay.” The nurse smiled, but it didn’t spread to her eyes.

She gave him a nod and packed all her things away in silence, leaving him alone with nothing but his thoughts in the dawn light.

He picked up his phone and saw he had some messages from his family, a few from his teammates and one from Star. He might as well get that one over and done with. Opening the message, he wasn’t entirely surprised by the content.

‘Babe. I’m sorry to hear about your accident. I’ve been doing some thinking while I’ve been away. I think our relationship has run its course. And we should consciously uncouple.’

He read the words a few times, letting them sink in. What did consciously uncouple mean? Was she breaking up with him? I mean, he hoped she was, but he wanted to be sure.

‘Are you breaking up with me?’

He needed her to reply in plain language. While he waited, he sent messages to his family and replied to the well wishes of his team.

Star was quick to respond.‘Yes. I think this is for the best. I need to be with someone who is going places. Not a has-been. I’ll take all my things out of the house while you’re in hospital.’

Frost sputtered with laughter. Star really was something else. He should have seen it coming. The second he wasn’t a hockey player, she didn’t want him anymore.

‘Will you go home?’He asked her.

‘No. I’ll stay in Australia for a while. I’ve got work lined up here.’

‘Okay. Look after yourself.’

He stared down at his phone. It was so anticlimactic. That was it. He was a single man again.

His heart felt lighter despite the pain he was in, and his mind strayed to images of red-headed doctors. He frowned. Why did he have a picture in his mind of Hel’s eyes so close to him that he could make out the swirls and flecks of gold in their hazel depths?

Shaking his head, he pushed thoughts of Hel away.

The day passed in a blur as he had doctors, physiotherapists, nurses, and a mass of teammates all trailing through his room.

Greg, the cameraman, also visited and filmed him in the bed. Frost wanted to object, but Greg promised it was only a few minutes of silent footage, understanding he wasn’t ready to answer any questions.

CHAPTER 13

HEL

Helgroanedandstretched.The bed she was lying in was so comfortable, far more comfortable than her usual bed. That was weird. Why wasn’t she in her bed?

She peeled open her eyes and glanced across to see Clara sleeping on the pillow next to her, quiet snores coming from her friend.

The events of the previous night rushed back to her. The fire. Her things being gone. Clara coming to fetch her and then telling her about the problems with her and Taylor’s new house. It turned out their new house and the cottages were death traps, with poor workmanship and dodgy wiring everywhere—which they found out when one of the cottages caught on fire.

They had one of the cottages renovated, which they were now living in, while the other two and the main house were completely redone.

Hel quietly pushed the covers back and grabbed her phone, tiptoeing out of the bedroom into the living area.

“Good morning, darling.” An American voice drawled from the kitchen.

“Hi, Gloria.” Hel strolled over and gave the woman a hug.

Gloria was Taylor’s mum and had become a firm favourite amongst all the doctors in the pub quiz team, as she insisted on attending the quiz every time she was visiting and always made the evening a lot more fun.

“I saw the note that you were here. I’ll make breakfast when Clara wakes up. How are you feeling?” Gloria asked as she walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne.

---