Page 43 of Doc Defence

The ache began to recede after he finished a quarter of the bottle. Every look of disgust someone threw his way as they walked past him while he sat on the sidewalk bench drinking reminded him of Hel’s face and the look she gave him and made him take another sip.

He was a has-been. A washed-up has-been.

Finally, he pulled himself to his feet and began to slowly make his way home. However, the alcohol he wasn’t used to drinking upset his usually impeccable balance, and he stumbled.

He couldn’t save himself and sprawled forward onto the ground, grazing both of his hands and banging his shoulder. Yet that was nothing compared to the tearing rip of pain which wrenched through his repaired leg.

Lying on the pavement, the edges of his vision went hazy, and he was only vaguely aware of someone kneeling next to him, asking if he needed an ambulance.

CHAPTER 16

HEL

Helwassixhoursinto her shift running the floor of the emergency department when she heard a commotion in the ambulance bay.

“Great, another patient who took too much ice. Can I grab some midazolam out of the cupboard?” Hel asked the nurse in charge, who was standing with her. “I’ll go and give the ambos a hand.”

The nurse grumbled, “Some days, I’m not sure why I do this job.”

“Me either. Me either,” Hel agreed. It had been an exhausting day, she had been seeing her own patients as well as supervising the juniors on the floor.

She grabbed the sedative drug, tucking it into the top pocket of her bottle green scrubs and strolled into the ambulance bay.

“I want to go home!” A male voice roared. “I am not getting out. I do not want to go to hospital.”

Both of the paramedics stood behind the ambulance, one of the doors open. Clearly discussing the problem patient they had in the back.

“What have we got?” Hel wandered over, grimacing at them.

“Hi Hel,” Barney, one of the paramedics, greeted her. “We’ve got a big boy in the back. He was picked up off the side of the road. He’s got a broken leg already, and he had a witnessed trip and fall. We tried to collar him, but he’s ripped it off. I can’t get near him now.”

Hel had a sinking feeling and listened harder to the voice that was now not shouting any more but rather singing loudly and out of tune.

She peered around the door and saw Frost. He was swigging out of a whisky bottle and singing ‘Let it be’ at the top of his lungs.

“I’ve got this.” Hel stepped forward and was about to hop into the ambulance when Barney caught her arm.

“I wouldn’t. He’s at least six-three and built like a brick wall,” he warned her.

“Yeah. I know,” she sighed deeply. “He’s one of the hockey players on the team I’m the medic for.”

“Oh, right. Do you think he’ll listen to you?” Barney removed his hand from her arm.

“He’d better,” Hel muttered as she clambered aboard.

Frost finished the chorus and started again with the first verse, which appeared to be the only part of the song he knew.

Hel stood silently watching him. He was an absolute mess. His hair was spiked up and greasy. His stubble had gone beyond designer and now looked messy. His white singlet had a few questionable food stains.

She had to stop herself from examining his abundant muscles and the now visible tattoos. Her mind drifted back to the stadium, where he wanted to give her a tour of his ink. She debated taking a self-guided tour while he was singing but managed to keep it professional and looked back at his face.

Frost’s eyes were scrunched shut as he started on another rendition of the chorus of ‘Let It Be’, and he was about to bring the whisky bottle that was clutched in his hand to his lips, when Hel figured it was time to step in before he got even more drunk than he already was.

“Jake Winston Forster,” she said loudly. And yes, she had Googled him and now knew his middle name.

Frost froze with the bottle almost to his lips, and his eyes snapped open.

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” Fire burned in the depth of her hazel eyes. She was not impressed with him.

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