Page 26 of Just for Me
The female cop didn’t smile, but the male one did, a bit. “He continues to say you were stalking him.”
“Yeh, well, I wasn’t,” Hayden said. “I was waiting for a mate, like I said. Him.” He’d have jerked his chin at Luke, but his head still hurt, so he jerked a thumb instead. “I know him through my sister,” he added. No reason the “gay” part had to come into this where Luke was concerned. There was coming out, and then there was being sucked into the midst of a gay love triangle. In public. In New Zealand, the smallest, most curious place in the world. Worse, in New Zealandrugby,the ultimate home of manly men.
“Better to wait for the police,” the woman said, “than take matters into your own hands. Sir.”
“Which was why,” Luke said, “I didn’t hit either of them. I held onto them instead and waited for the police.”
“Better to let them go,” the woman said, “and tell us later. As they were known to the victim.”
“Yeh, nah,” Luke said. “I’m not much for letting things go.”
“Noticed that,” the male cop said. “All the same,” he added hastily at a look from the other one, “good that you left it to us.” He finished writing on his clipboard. “Well, that’s about it. If you’ll just read these over and sign.”
Luke read over his and signed his name. Hayden tried, but his eyes didn’t want to focus. Luke must have noticed, because he said, “I’ll read it to you.”
The female cop said, “We’ll ask that he read it himself. Procedure.”
Luke said, “Not with concussion. I’ll read it.” And did.
* * *
Hayden lay backagainst that rubbish flat ED pillow when the cops had gone, looking white and exhausted. “They’re going to wonder whether you’re gay,” he told Luke, apparently thinking that he still had to be witty and charming. “I wasn’t sure how to create a diversionary smokescreen. Possibly beyond my capabilities at the moment.”
“I noticed you trying,” Luke said. “When you said the thing about knowing me through your sister.”
“Well, yeh,” Hayden said. “Best I could do. D’you think the doctor’s coming back soon? And this is so not the way to do a first date. Fairly uncomfortably vulnerable, in fact.”
The doctor walked in just then and said, “No brain bleed visible now, but you’ll want to keep an eye on your symptoms. If they don’t improve within the next couple of days, and definitely if they get any worse, ring your GP to arrange more tests. If it’s bad, come back here. A bleed can develop over time.” He handed over a paper. “Things to watch for. Do you have somebody to stay with you tonight? It would be better.”
“Oh.” Hayden didn’t glance at Luke. He extremely pointedly didn’t glance at him, in fact. “I can ask my sister.”
“I’ll stay with him,” Luke said. “I’ve had a fair few TBIs, know what to watch for.”
“I can—” Hayden said, and stopped.
“Good,” the doctor said. “You can go home, then, but take it easy for a few days.”
“No worries,” Hayden said. “I’m a lawyer. I just sit and type.”
“Maybe not tomorrow,” the doctor said.
“But I—” Hayden began.
“Not tomorrow,” Luke said. “Eat. Drink. Rest. Monday’s soon enough.”
“You sound like you know,” the doctor said.
“I should,” Luke said. “And I do.”
11
THE DADDY OF YOUR DREAMS
They tookan Uber to Hayden’s place. It was in a modern apartment block off The Strand, with what Luke guessed an estate agent would call a “sea view”: shipping cranes, stacked containers under security lights, and a behemoth of a car carrier unloading its endless stream of cheap, used compacts, which were rolling, rattle-clunk,rattle-clunk,rattle-clunk,down the ramp.He guessed it still counted, though, because the dark void behind the ship was surely Waitemata Harbour, and beyond it would be Rangitoto, Auckland’s iconic volcanic-cone backdrop.
The apartment also had a marmalade cat in it, who came running up the second the door was open, talking and meowing for all he was worth. The cat began rubbing himself against Hayden’s ankles, then started walking toward the kitchen alcove, looking back all the way and talking some more.
“George,” Hayden said, with what Luke was guessing was about the last of his energy. “And it is not pathetic that I have a cat. I like him. Just now, he wants his tea. He has dry food, but he likes the canned kind best. High maintenance, possibly. A cat of refined tastes.”
