The Footballer's Girlfriend

Part One - Chapter Seventeen: Please Get Help

Cristiano handed his mother a coffee and sat down next to her, he had never thought that his family would have to go through this again after what had happened to his father; he could only pray that Hugo was going to be alright.

Dolores didn’t look at her youngest son, she had no idea what to do to help Hugo and she feared that if he didn’t change then he was going to end up in an early grave.

“It’ll be okay mãe,” Cristiano murmured knowing that his brother was having the best treatment possible after what had happened; he didn’t know what else they could do if Hugo kept refusing to get help for his addiction.

Dolores didn’t say anything, it had been two days since her son had been admitted into hospital and she feared what the doctor’s would find with all their testing; she couldn’t lose her eldest son like she had lost her husband.

“We’ll send him to rehab, get him the best help possible,” Cristiano murmured not wanting to think about how bad this could turn out, he had the money to make sure that Hugo went to the best rehab places in the world and he would do it in a heartbeat.

Katia scoffed at her younger brother, she knew that Cristiano meant well but it wasn’t going to change anything; the last six years since their father had passed away because his own addiction and now they were watching Hugo go the same way.

“You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped,” Elma said shaking her head, she didn’t know how much more Hugo’s wife and daughter could take and she knew that Lilian was struggling with this.

Lilian had been married to Hugo for years and had watched Dinis Aveiro suffer in his last few months; it was clear that if Hugo didn’t change his ways then he would lose his wife and daughter, Alicia Tomás Aveiro.

***

“How are you?” Cristiano asked approaching his sister-in-law, she looked exhausted and he worried that she was going to end up putting herself in hospital if she didn’t slow down.

Lilian nodded her head, she offered Cristiano a small smile knowing that Hugo was very lucky to have a brother like him; she didn’t know what she would ever do if she didn’t have the support of the family.

“Tired,” Lilian murmured leaning against the wall, she had left her teenage daughter with her parents while she returned to the hospital to check on her idiot of a husband.

Lilian’s parents wanted her to file for divorce since they feared that their daughter was going to get hurt, they didn’t think an addict would ever be able to provide for Lilian and Alicia like someone else could.

Cristiano nodded his head, he knew the feeling and he wanted nothing more to head home and get some sleep; he hadn’t really relaxed since coming to Portugal.

Eliana had called him a lot over the past two days and Cristiano missed her like crazy, he had almost insisted that she fly out to Portugal to be with him but he knew that wasn’t possible.

Cristiano couldn’t imagine what Lilian was going through, he hated that this was happening and he wanted nothing more than to help in some way; he knew how much Lilian’s parents hated his brother but he was sure Hugo would get better.

“I hear you have a new girlfriend,” Lilian murmured smiling at Cristiano, she wouldn’t deny that she’d once had a thing for the younger man and her parents had always like him a lot more than they had ever liked Hugo.

Cristiano grinned nodding his head as he thought about Eliana, he was going to attempt to travel back to Madrid for her graduation and he hoped that he would be able to be there for that moment.

“I’m happy for you,” Lilian said wanting nothing more than to see Cristiano happy, she wouldn’t change her marriage for the world and she wished that Hugo could pull himself out of the dark hole that he had found himself in.

Lilian wasn’t sure how much more she could take, she had been so scared when she had found him unconscious in their home and now they were waiting to find out if he had damaged his liver.

Hugo needed help and Lilian doubted that they would be able to convince him to go to rehab, she didn’t want to watch her husband drink himself into an early grave.

“Obrigado… I just wished my mãe would like her,” Cristiano murmured knowing that Dolores wasn’t overly fond of Eliana and he didn’t know what he could do to make his mother see that he wasn’t dating the wrong person for him this time.

Lilian laughed softly and nodded her head, she doubted that Dolores would ever like anyone that Cristiano dated; he was her little boy and he’d had a bad taste in women the last few years.

“I’m sure Dolores will learn to like her if she means so much to you,” Lilian soothed smiling at Cristiano, she could only imagine how important the woman was if Cristiano wanted his mother to like her; she would have to ask Katia and Elma about the woman that had very clearly stolen Cristiano’s heart.

Cristiano nodded his head, he had been planning on asking Eliana to move in with him since he knew her lease on her apartment was running out and Rosie would be moving away back to Valencia; he liked the idea of sharing his home with his girlfriend and he hoped she’d say yes.

***

“I’m not going to rehab,” Hugo spat furious at the idea that his brother was offering, he didn’t have a drinking problem and he was perfectly fine even if he had passed out; he wanted to go home and relax with his wife and daughter.

Cristiano stared at Hugo concerned, wondering how much more his older brother could take before he did something irreversible to his body; he didn’t want to watch Hugo die slowly like their father had.

“You need help Hugo,” Cristiano pleaded knowing that their rest of their family had given up trying to convince him to get help for his drinking problem; he was the only one trying to get Hugo the help that he very clearly needed.

Hugo had everything to fight and live for, he had a beautiful wife and daughter, a job that people would kill for in the current economic climate and yet he was wasting all his money of drink.

“I don’t need help especially not from you,” Hugo snarled tired of Cristiano pushing him to do something that he didn’t need, his perfect younger brother was wasting his time and he wanted to be left alone to rest.

Cristiano blinked surprised at the bitterness in Hugo’s voice, he didn’t want to fight with his brother while he was in hospital but this couldn’t go on and he needed to do something to help.

“Get out Ronaldo… I don’t want you here,” Hugo dismissed turning his attention to the television, he didn’t know why Cristiano acted so innocent and he wished that his brother would stop getting so much attention.

Cristiano shook his head and walked out of the hospital room, he didn’t want to hang about when Hugo was in a bad mood; he had a feeling that only reaching rock bottom would make his brother get the help that he needed to beat his drinking addiction.

Cristiano could only hope that Lilian and Alicia would be able to cope when that happened.