Page 47 of The Player

Too much to be good for her.

After helping bathe and dress Cindy, Liza settled into the nightly routine of rubbing moisturiser into Cindy’s dry skin.

She loved this special bonding time, when they relaxed and chatted about their respective days. Liza had missed it on the evenings when she’d been on WAG duty. It spoke volumes about her previous lifestyle that she would’ve rather been home with her sis than partying with a bunch of fake socialites.

‘That feels good.’ Cindy closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the chair as Liza spread the moisturiser evenly over her forearm with firm strokes.

‘Your skin’s looking great,’ Liza said, always on the lookout for pressure sores or skin breakdown, common side effects with CP.

‘Thanks to you.’ Cindy sighed as Liza increased the pressure slightly. ‘Wade seems nice.’

‘Hmm.’ Liza deliberately kept her strokes rhythmic, not wanting to alert Cindy to her sudden spike in blood pressure.

She didn’t want to think about Wade now, didn’t want to remember the disappointment and censure in his eyes as he’d stalked out two hours ago.

His accusations cut deep. He’d assumed she was ashamed of Cindy…well, screw him. He wouldn’t have a clue what it was like for her, trying to keep Cindy calm and avoiding stress that could potentially increase her spasticity.

Liza had seen it happen, any time Cindy was anxious, upset, agitated, or excited. The medical team had advised her to avoid such situations, and that was the main reason Liza hadn’t included Cindy in the book.

She couldn’t run the risk of people invading Cindy’s privacy, pestering for interviews and potentially increasing the likelihood of those disastrous contractures.

The changes in Cindy’s soft tissues terrified Liza. The shortening of muscles, tendons, and ligaments could lead to muscle stiffness, atrophy, and fibrosis, where the muscles become smaller and thinner. And if those muscles permanently shortened and pulled on the nearby bones, the resultant deformities could be a significant problem.

Her sister worked so hard at her exercises but Liza constantly worried about contractures, where the spasticity in Cindy’s arm and leg might reach a point where the muscles required surgical release.

Cindy co-operated most days but they’d had their battles over the years, when no amount of cajoling or bribery could get Cindy to follow her exercise regimen.

Liza hated playing taskmaster but she did it. Anything to avoid seeing Cindy in more pain than she already was. Cindy coped with the chronic pain from the abnormal postures of her joints admirably but it broke Liza’s heart every time her sister winced or cried out during her routine.

Liza stayed positive and tried to encourage as much as she could, because the possibility of a hip subluxation or scoliosis from the contractures was all too real and she wanted to avoid further medical intervention for Cindy at all costs.

So including her in the biography and having Cindy agitated or overexcited, leading to contractures? No way, Liza couldn’t do it. She’d never intentionally hurt her sister or put her in harm’s way and that was how she’d viewed revealing Cindy’s identity to the world.

As for Shar’s insinuation that maybe Liza hadn’t wanted to be tainted by Cindy’s disability in some way, that was off base. Liza would’ve loved to raise awareness for cerebral palsy, the association, and the carers, and her tell-all would’ve been the perfect vehicle.

But Cindy came first always and she couldn’t run the risk of her spasticity worsening.

‘He said he was your boyfriend.’ Cindy’s eyes snapped open and pinned Liza with an astute glare she had no hope of evading.

‘Guys get confused sometimes.’ Liza reached for Cindy’s other arm and started the massage process all over again. ‘If you smile in their direction they think you’re crushing on them.’

Cindy laughed, a sound Liza never tired of. ‘Maybe that’s the problem? You’ve been smiling too much at Wade?’

‘Could be.’

Though Liza knew smiling would be the last thing happening when they met next. Shar was right. She had to talk to him, had to calm this volatile situation before she lost her job.

And maybe lost the guy, though she had a sinking feeling that had already happened.

Chapter Twenty-One

After the blow-up with Liza, Wade headed for the one place he felt safe.

The office.

It had been his refuge for as long as he could remember, whether in Melbourne or London, the one place he was on top and in total control.

The office he could rely on, whereas family could be as changeable as the wind and his fractured relationship with his father over Babs proved it. Girlfriends, he’d chosen with deliberation, the kind of corporate women who expected nothing and were content with a brief fling, which meant he was close to none of them.

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