by TJ Hamilton
‘Then why did you come back?’
Leila sighed. It was the one recurring question she really revolted against, but she needed to keep talking to keep her mind from the doctor scratching around in her numb palm. ‘I guess I just wanted to come back and make a difference. Plus, this is my home. It always will be, no matter how much I try to hate it.’
‘Then make a difference and ignore the naysayers,’ he said.
Under the cover of her arm, she caught Doctor Evans peering above his thin glasses at her. She smiled. Yep, that’s exactly what she wanted to do. Screw Hayden Terrance, or anyone else for that matter. She did come back here to make a difference. She felt as if she could run for the next female prime minister of Australia, until the doctor suddenly pulled on her skin and she felt it. Sharp pain.
‘Oh that hur—’
Chapter Eight
As Ben walked into the doctor’s room, Leila flashed a crooked, groggy smile from the bed.
‘Here’s my knight in shining armour. I love you, Ben Fields,’ she slurred.
Ben looked at Dr Evans with a puzzled frown. ‘I thought you only had to give her a local anaesthetic?’
The doctor nodded. ‘Yep, but she almost passed out when I had to pull a large piece of glass out of her hand, so I decided to give her twilight anaesthesia. Now that she’s coherent, sort of, she’s had an interesting reaction to the pain medication.’
God, she adored Ben. A horrifying thought struck her ‘We’re still doing Netflix night, aren’t we? I want to watch aaaaall the movies. I can see every freaking colour on the spectrum right now.’ She scanned her un-bandaged hand across the room, following a shooting star.
Ben looked at the doctor again for answers. The doctor shrugged. ‘This should wear off within the hour. It’s just a combination of the anaesthesia with the heavy dose of analgesic. Some patients will present with a euphoric-like state, and she’s one of the lucky ones.’ Doctor Evans smiled before finishing writing notes on his computer. ‘I certainly didn’t want her driving home.’ Ben smiled politely and put his arm out for Leila to take. ‘Come on, princess.’
Leila squinted. ‘I’ll never be anyone’s princess.’ She emphasised the last word while trying to point her index finger towards Ben, but couldn’t manage to control it. It just ended up circling within the vicinity of him.
‘Wasn’t I your knight in shining armour two seconds ago?’ Ben teased.
Remembering was harder than she thought it should be. ‘Oh yeah … I guess you are … okay … but I’ll only ever be your princess. No one else’s, okay?’
‘Okay,’ he said, still holding his arm out.
Leila linked her arm through Ben’s and cradled her bandaged hand against her chest.
Miraculously, they made it all the way to his car.
‘I really mean it,’ Leila said again as she grabbed Ben’s face between her palms—one bandaged. ‘I really love you in my life.’
Ben laughed and gave her a quick peck on the lips. ‘You are forgetting one minor detail about which team I bat for right?’
Leila flopped back against the seat and blew out to make a raspberry sound between her lips. ‘So what, we can’t love each other just because you’re gay? I could’ve told you you were gay years before you ever confirmed it. How could you not eye off all the hot boys at school? Toby Grimshaw—prime example. He’s like a delicate cut of beef from one of those fancy gourmet butchers in Sydney.’ She licked her lips.
Ben buckled Leila into her seat and shook his head in amusement. ‘My boyfriend is more than just a piece of meat, I’ll have you know.’
‘Whatever you say.’ Leila found herself reflecting on Toby’s athletic physique, the way that all the girls swooned at school. Ben closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side.
‘He’s always been a hot hunk of a man,’ she said, slapping at Ben as he started the car. ‘Go you!’
‘That’s funny, coming from a person who was adamant Toby was an arsonist a couple of months ago.’
Meandering thoughts flowed in and out of Leila’s head all the way home: How she had managed to become the very thing her family despised and redirect their former hostility towards police. She was surprised when she first heard her mum come down hard on someone when they called police ‘pigs’ around her. She was proud to think her family were trying to be better people because of her. But so far, her attempts to reconnect with her family on a personal level had proven to be just as difficult as ever.
‘You’re a breath of fresh air, Mayne,’ Sergeant Cooper had said after she completed her first investigation, resulting in a conviction and suspended sentence. She smiled wide, as Ben pulled into her driveway.
‘Okay, princess, your chariot has arrived. Wait there a sec and I’ll help you out,’ Ben said as he got out of the car. But Leila was no wilting flower and opened the car door before he could stop her, face-planting on the ground a few seconds later. Ben started laughing when he heard her laughter. With her ass high in the air she formed a really terrible version of the downward dog pose, which made her laugh even harder.
‘Oh love, you’re a mess,’ he said and he tried to pull her from the ground. ‘Let me look at you.’
Ben brushed the dirt off Leila’s cheek. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t grazed your face. You look considerably intact for the sound your head just made when it connected with the concrete.’
Ben assisted her up the ramp to her front door. The ramp, an adjustment Mr Walker had made when he started to rely on a frame, suddenly didn’t seem as ridiculous as she had first thought.
Placing Leila delicately onto her orange couch, Ben took off her shoes. He swung her legs around as she flopped back against the cushions she’d made out of Australian vintage tea towels. ‘The flying swallows look fantastic,’ Ben said as he eyed off the flock of seven blue porcelain swallows sprawling across the wall above her television. It was the last thing she remembered him saying before she allowed the darkness to take over her tired mind.
***
Leila opened her eyes slowly to find Toby and Ben sitting on the couch adjacent to her, their legs intertwined as they watched television. She smiled as she turned her gaze towards the TV. A young River Phoenix walked on train tracks with three other friends carrying rucksacks.
‘Stand By Me—god, I love this movie,’ Her thoughts were clearer than they had been a few hours earlier.
‘Ah, Sleeping Beauty awakens,’ Ben teased.
‘Enough of the princess references thanks.’
‘You were a princess an hour ago.’
‘Was not.’ Her green eyes snapped to Ben. ‘It was the drugs.’
‘Yeah, the stuff Doctor Evans had to give you because you passed out at the sight of blood? You were only at that terrible car crash the other week, where the guy no longer had a head, and you were fine.’
‘Nice details,’ Toby quipped.
Leila rubbed her unbandaged palm against her forehead. ‘I don’t know what’s gotten into me either.’
‘You’ve been weird since Hayden’s been back.’
‘Who’s Hayden?’ She bit down on her smile, but failed miserably. ‘He’s not going to be a problem anymore. I’ve been thinking a lot today.’
‘Did that hurt?’ Ben teased her again.
She rolled her eyes. ‘Very funny. I’ve realised I have so much to be thankful for, there’s no point adding drama to the equation.’
She caught sight of the coffee table with a beautifully arranged grazing platter.
‘Wow, this spread looks amazing,’ she said.
‘You can thank Toby for this one.’ Ben and Toby shared a smile.
‘Let’s break out the good wine. I feel like we have to celebrate.’
Ben frowned. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, Leila. Only a few hours ago you were as high as a pixie and confessing your love for me.’
Leila screwed her nose up. ‘I was just happy to see you. I feel perfectly fine. I have a little cut on m
y hand, barely a graze.’
‘But you’re on some strong antibiotics.’ Ben tried another approach but it was all in vain as Leila jumped from the couch, popping a green olive in her mouth, and made her way to the kitchen.
Ben shook his head and followed her into the kitchen. ‘I’ve never come across someone so pig-headed.’
Toby laughed. ‘She’s always been that way.’
‘Oh my god, these olives are amazing. Who did the marinade?’ she called out.
‘Well after you attempted to marinate the olives with your own blood, I figured a good dose of vinegar and garlic would bring them back to life again. Can’t waste the Sicilians, they’re too expensive.’ Toby pushed his new friendship with her.
Leila laughed loud. ‘Hell yes they are! Bloody brilliant thinking. I knew there was reason to like you.’
***
Once she finished off a bottle of her favourite twenty-dollar Shiraz Grenache from the Barossa Valley, Leila was desperate to head down to the Cooee Hotel for a dance.
‘Like hell, Leila! You’re not going anywhere. Who knows what you’ll do in this state.’
She shook her head. ‘I’m fine. We’re going out.’
‘How many fingers am I holding?’ Ben held up three fingers in front of her.
Leila frowned. ‘Are you serious?’
Ben huffed in frustration. ‘Doc Evans had to ring me to get you because you were flying high and now you want to go out? Are you serious?’
‘Yes I am. It’s exactly what the doctor ordered so get your dancing shoes on because we’re going out.’
‘Only for an hour, and then we’re going home whether you like it or not,’ Ben succumbed.
‘Ooh we’re a ‘we’ now, are we?’ she replied with a teasing sing-song.
Chapter Nine
Leila was relieved to see the Cooee was quiet for a Thursday night. There were the usual regulars of the pub, but the Thursday dart crowd was absent for once.
‘Why aren’t darts on tonight?’ she asked Karen, the publican.
‘Barry Saunders passed away last week, so they’re saving this week’s match to coincide with his funeral and naming the competition in his honour,’ Karen replied.
‘Oh no, that’s really terrible, Karen. I didn’t realise.’ Ben clearly didn’t know about the death either, which was unusual for their profession in this small town. ‘That’s a really moving gesture from the Darts Association. How are the Saunders kids?’
‘Rick and Josh are on their way back from the city to be with their mum,’ Karen replied.
As the trio got their drinks from the bar and made their way to the beer garden at the back of the pub, Leila couldn’t help searching to make sure she wouldn’t run into Hayden. It was the last thing she wanted. Ben pulled her over to the darkened table under a big tree, furthest from the door.
‘You sure you’re alright to be out, Leila?’
She shot him a look of annoyance, but she could tell he wasn’t about to let it go.
‘I’m just making sure you’re okay. Stop being a bitch about it!’ Ben said.
Leila took in a deep breath and checked herself. ‘I promise we’re here for one hour. As soon as we’ve finished these drinks, we’ll head inside, commandeer the jukebox and dance before we all turn into pumpkins and have to go home.’
Ben took a sip of his drink and agreed. ‘Thank god there’s no footy on tonight, or else we wouldn’t be putting any music on.’
‘I’m not dancing,’ Toby added.
Ben smirked. ‘Neither am I. A chair dance is all I manage while pixie here jumps around like an idiot. It’s always cringeworthy dancing … but entertaining. You’re in for a treat.’
Leila chuckled. It was true. She only cared what the town’s people thought of her when she was in uniform.
Uniform-Leila was different from off-duty Leila, and she worked hard to maintain the ability to switch between work and home. Her upbringing and now her adult career choice gave her unique insight into the town—and a unique position both when she was at the station, and when she was hanging out at the pub.
Leila sculled the rest of her drink and slammed it on the table a little harder than intended.
‘Ease up on the glass in your hand, Leila. You only have that one left for the next two weeks, best you look after it,’ Toby warned.
She gave him a slight nod, got up and made her way back inside, not waiting to see if the guys followed her. With a quick detour past the bar, Leila ordered herself another drink before making a bee-line for the digital jukebox. She used the touchscreen to flick through the album covers, stopping at ‘Push It’ by Salt-N-Pepa. ‘Oh shit, yes.’
The moment the unforgettable cow-bell beat started, Leila busted out her best moves, singing along as loudly as possible.
‘Here, catch,’ she said to Toby as she threw her handbag at him.
Leila could feel the combination of wine and prescription medication, and let it carry her through ‘the running man’ and ‘the sprinkler’ right through to ‘the worm’. The song was a classic favourite of hers and she just let the joy of the beat take over. When the final digitalised chords finished, Leila heard a loud clap in the distance and dramatically threw herself forward in a bow. She had impressed at least one of the patrons and was pleased, regardless of how embarrassed Ben and Toby might be. As she rose from her bow, she saw not her two friends, but the bulky figure of Hayden leaning against the doorway, clapping and grinning. She forgot to breathe. His sandy waves were tamed more than usual and the grey V-neck tee he was wearing shaped his chest perfectly.
Leila turned to Ben and Toby, exaggerating a look of shock as she briskly walked towards them. ‘Right, well that’s perfect time to call it a night then. I’ve got my dance in, so we might as well get out of here early.’
As Leila grabbed her handbag, she gulped her second drink. Ben and Toby finished their drinks and also got up to leave.
‘Hey, stop, Leila,’ Hayden called out after her.
She didn’t look back; she couldn’t. If she did, she would stop. His hot grip wrapped around her wrist as he caught her un-bandaged hand on its backwards swing.
‘You’re really injured?’ He sounded concerned.
‘As if you give a shit, but yes I am.’
‘Hang on a minute, you told me to get away from you and leave you alone.’
‘I also told you to stay the hell away from the pubs, but you seem to have ignored that request.’
Leila turned to Ben and Toby, who were waiting a few feet in front of her.
‘Come on, Leila. We’re going, remember?’ Ben said.
Leila glanced to the sky, hoping advice would drop onto her from above.
It was Toby who now sounded annoyed. ‘Ben, I think we should give these two space to work their shit out. I’m tired.’
Searching between the stares of Ben, Toby and Hayden, Leila was losing the battle between her heart and her head.
Hayden’s voice was deep and silky, with a hint of sadness beneath it. ‘Leila, I don’t understand why you’re trying to avoid me. I thought it was going to be nice to see you after all this time, but obviously you don’t feel the same.’
She wished she was brave enough to tell him how happy she really was to see him, and how it scared the shit out of her at the same time.
‘I just want to talk to you, you stubborn shit.’ Hayden’s voice was more frustrated than angry.
She shot a look to him. His heat was kind of sexy, in a challenging way.
‘Ben, it’s fine. Go home. I’ll call you tomorrow.’
‘Drink?’ Hayden offered.
Bemused, shocked and slightly inebriated, she managed an eye roll for an answer before following him to the bar. As she walked away from Ben and Toby, she faintly heard Toby reassuring Ben that she was more than capable of looking after herself in this town. It made her smile that Ben cared so much.
Chapter Ten
As Karen poured from the bottle of Glenfiddich strai
ght onto ice, Hayden glanced across at Leila as she fiddled with a disposable coaster.
‘You hit the hard stuff now? I never thought I’d see the day.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Your old man should’ve had shares in a whiskey distillery by now.’
Leila shrugged. ‘I guess the job does that to you.’
‘Being a cop makes you want to drink? Why would you work in a career that forces you do something you’ve hated for so long?’
Karen handed over their drinks and walked to the other end of the bar, leaving Leila and Hayden alone in the unusually quiet pub. Hayden didn’t know what to say. Leila took a solid gulp of scotch and turned to him with softened eyes.
‘So I haven’t asked you what you’ve been doing with yourself for the past four years?’
Hayden paused; he couldn’t exactly tell her he’d been doing everything to avoid running his brother’s criminal enterprises in Echo Springs while Jayden served out his sentence at Silverwater prison in Sydney. Remembering life before his brother was convicted of armed robbery, Hayden talked about the programs he was helping to run at a government-funded recreation centre in Sydney.
‘I’ve been teaching some of the disadvantaged kids from the city to learn how to cook and get the basic skills needed to step into an apprenticeship,’ he said with a burst of pride tingling within.
Leila sparked up. ‘Really? That sounds wonderful. You’ve always been pretty good in the kitchen, so it really suits you.’
He quickly extinguished his misguided pride, realising the hypocrisy of his fake reality, and replaced it with a stark reminder of where his life was now. All Hayden wanted to do was give kids from vulnerable neighbourhoods more options in life, but all he did by delivering the drugs was perpetuating the problem. He was now the bad guy and he hated himself for it, but he’d hate himself more if anything happened to Brayden and his mum like Jayden had threatened.
She took a sip of whiskey. ‘Where do you live? Do you like the city?’
