Page 16 of Fool Me Twice

Checking his notes, he continued. Peter had dislocated his right shoulder. Jaxon and Evie nodded; he’d always had problems with his shoulder.

“Goes with the territory.” Jaxon nodded like some mystic sage.

The doctor frowned. “Surfing?”

“No, he used to be a drummer in a band,” Evie supplied, rolling her eyes.

“Crimzon Steel? Of course.” The doctor hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. “I knew I recognised him.”

Jaxon puffed up his chest. “Yeah, that’s right. My dad’s Cookie.” He beamed.

Evie shuffled in her seat, trying to relieve the pressure on the tight knot wedged against her diaphragm.

“Oh my God,” the doctor said. “I can’t believe I’ve just glued Peter ‘Cookie’ Cook’s head back together.” He rocked on his heels, grinning. “Wow. Wait until I tell the guys.”

“Is that it?” Evie cut in, not as keen to savour the moment where some guy glued another guy’s head back together, like some kind of Humpty Dumpty moment.

“No. We’ve had to immobilise the shoulder for the time being, with an arm sling.”

Evie was so over this fan worship. “Are there any other injuries?” she barked.

“Um, yes. He’s also sprained his left knee.”

“So, can we take him home?” Jaxon asked.

“Hmm.” The doctor tapped his chin with his forefinger. “I would say yes, but because of the bang to his head, we’re going to keep him in overnight, just for observation.”

Jaxon stared at the doctor. “He is okay, though, isn’t he?”

“Yes, perfectly fine. It’s just routine.” The doctor rubbed his chin and looked from one of them to the other. “But he won’t be able to put any weight on that knee for a few weeks, so he’ll need someone to look after him. I’m assuming he’s got somewhere to stay?”

“Yes,” Jaxon jumped right in before Evie could reply.

Evie rifled through her bag for her mobile. “I’ll call Jan and see if she has the number of that private hospital her aunt used when she broke her hip.”

“Why?” Jaxon stared at her blankly.

“So we can call them to ask if they have space for Peter when he gets out.”

He looked at her, his brows drawn down in a straight line. “Why?” he repeated.

“Because you’re leaving soon,” she pointed out. “For Australia.”

“No.” Jaxon began pacing again, running his fingers through his hair. “We’ll have to cancel the tour.” He took out his phone and started scrolling. “I’ll call Johnny and tell him.”

“What? You can’t do that.” Evie put her hand over the phone. “What about the rest of the band and your fans?”

“It’s my dad.” He splayed his arms wide. “They’ll understand.”

Evie swallowed down the words that threatened to explode from her lips. Since when did Jaxon owe him anything?

“No, Jaxon.” She tried to keep her voice steady. “You can’t let everyone down just because your father fell over and bumped his head.”

“Come on, Mum.” Jaxon threw his hands up in the air. “It’s much more serious than just a bump on the head. What happened was my fault, and I can’t just leave him with a bunch of strangers.”

She cursed Jaxon’s sense of responsibility; it was as much a curse as it was a blessing. And right now, she wanted to shake some sense into him, make him see that this wasn’t the time for his heart to overrule his head.

“He can stay with me.” The words were out before she realised.

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