Leigh-Ann was in the kitchen and she gave her a hug when she walked in. Charley forced a smile that she didn’t feel, and Leigh-Ann poured her a glass of wine, sliding it along the table towards her as she sat down.
“How’s Junior been?” she asked.
“He’s been fine,” Leigh-Ann smiled. “Slept most of the time. I’ve given him his bottle, and he’s just dozing again now. Life of luxury he’s got.” Charley allowed herself a real smile, and sipped at her wine.
“I’m sorry about what happened,” Leigh-Ann said. Charley looked at Asher and knew from his face that he had rang ahead to warn her. Charley couldn’t be angry with her brother or her best mate, she loved them both, and they didn’t deserve her anger, Dante did.
“He’ll get what he deserves,” Leigh-Ann said. Asher nodded in agreement.
“Yeah,” Charley said half-heartedly.
She wondered if perhaps, if she kept telling herself that, it might come true.
* * *
Clint jumped off the bus and ran across the car park. He slowed as he went through the sliding doors at the front of the hospital, but his heart was still racing and he felt sweat pooling in his armpits from the exertion.
He glanced at the signs and posters around the reception area, ignoring the people who hurried past him in different directions. He saw a sign for maternity and rushed down the corridor it was pointing to, glancing at the walls for any further indication of where Aurora might be.
A woman in a blue hospital gown shuffled down the corridor, accompanied by a nurse. He went in the direction they had come from, ending up at a nurse station with the cries of childbirth coming from the doors around them.
“Aurora Curtis?” he asked a nurse who looked up as he neared.
She glanced at the computer screen in front of her, pursed her lips, and pointed down the corridor.
“Room 15,” she told him, and he was off, hurrying down the corridor, past the sounds of cries and moans from the rooms either side of the hallway. He reached Room 15 and threw himself through the door.
Aurora was in the hospital bed, drenched in sweat, her hair plastered to her forehead, face scrunched up as she let out a low, guttural moan. She was in a blue hospital gown, and her legs were up in the air. A nurse was talking loudly beside her, reassuring her, and Clint went to the other side of the bed, clasping Aurora’s hand in his. She squeezed and he winced, getting an amused smile from the nurse.
“I’m here,” he assured her, leaning down and kissing Aurora on the forehead. “I’m here for you babe. You’re doing great.”
A doctor came through the door and stood at the end of the bed. Clint glanced from Aurora to the doctor, unsure of what was happening.
“Is everything ok?” he asked.
The doctor looked at him.
“I’m the father,” Clint explained.
“The baby is on its way,” the doctor said. “I can see the head crowning now.”
Clint couldn’t believe that his baby was being born now. All the months of waiting, of hoping and worrying, were over. He would actually see his baby, something that he and Aurora had made together. Excitement gripped him, and Aurora squeezed his hand, almost smiling as she let out another howl.
“Keep pushing,” the doctor told her.
Aurora took a deep breath and let out a long, agonising groan that came from the depths of her stomach. Sweat dripped from her nose and slid down between her breasts, her grip tightening around Clint’s hands, but he was strong for her. Her face was scrunched up and Clint feared she would pass out from the strain.
Her groan turned to a screech, and then she relaxed, her body shuddering and she gasped for air. The doctor was moving fast, and the nurse hurried round to the bottom of the bed. Aurora wiped sweat off her forehead, breathing hard and moaning softly, her body relaxing a little.
Clint looked at the doctor.
“Congratulations,” the doctor said. Clint looked down at Aurora, who managed to smile through her pain. The doctor smiled with them. “You have a daughter.”
* * *
Serena sat at the bar and sipped at her glass of wine. It was unusual for her to drink, especially on a weeknight. Having a son did that to a person, she thought.
Tonight, she needed it. She had given evidence in court many times over the years, it was a given in the job, but she had never felt this way afterwards. There had been stressful cases, and ones which brought back terrible memories when she recounted her lines of inquiry, but this was something different.
She felt as if she had let the case down, let down Aurora and her mother. She should have said something else, presented the facts differently, not allowed the defense lawyer to rile her and twist her words as she had.
Lifting the glass to her lips again, she turned as Casey approached and slid onto the bar stool beside hers. He ordered himself a drink and turned to her, apparently reading how her testimony had gone on her face, or else he had already heard about it from elsewhere.
“You did your job,” he said. His voice was matter-of-fact, though kindly. “You’ve done your part, everything you could. Now it’s time for you to move on from the Curtis case.”
Serena nodded, knowing that he was right.
“Have you met up with Detective Hurst yet?” Casey asked. “That case is a big one, he’s going to need your help.”
“I know,” Serena agreed.
She had looked over the notes that Carl had given her, but she had not delved into the case as she normally did. Her mind drifted to Shaniqua Curtis and the court case, never far from her thoughts. Perhaps now that she had testified, it would be easier to focus elsewhere. Perhaps when the trial was over, when the verdict was read out.
Or perhaps this would be one of those cases that never really left the mind.
“Seriously, you shouldn’t beat yourself up about this,” Casey urged her.
“Thanks,” Serena said. She allowed herself a smile.
“That’s better,” Casey beamed.
Serena drained the last of the wine from her glass and slid off the stool. Casey raised an eyebrow questioningly.
“Off to see Detective Hurst?” he asked, and rolled his eyes, knowing that she was not.
He bid her goodnight and waved her off, as Serena left the bar, shrugging into her jacket as she went out onto the street. He was right, she knew, she did have to move on, but at the moment she could still make a difference, the trial had just started, there was still hope that justice would be served.
She hailed a cab, and directed the driver to the hospital. Before she did anything else, she wanted to check on Aurora and her baby.
* * *
“I might have a pick me up,” Troy mumbled, swinging his legs off his bunk and glancing at Dante. “Hardly slept, you know, fucking knackered now. And court’s tiring, man.”
Troy did not even care when Dante barely mumbled a response, not even looking at him from his own bunk. The day had been long, Troy thought, but he had come away feeling relieved. Patterson had tried her best to bring him down and he could not wait to see the look on his face when he was freed.
He had done a number on her, or at least his defense lawyer had, and he could not have been happier when she had left the stand looking defeated. It served the bitch right, he thought.
Troy stood up, going for the baggy of drugs, when two prison officers appeared at the door. His back stiffened as he glared at them, apprehensive.
“Right, we’re doing a cell search,” one officer said. He was a large, balding man with unsmiling eyes. “I need you both to step outside, lads. We’re authorised to use force if you don’t comply, so let’s make this easy for all of us, okay?”
“What the fuck?” Troy shouted, before he could help himself, his mind darting towards the phone and the drugs. “Is this a joke?”
“Come on, Banks, outside,” the officer said, reaching for him.
Troy had no choice but to allow the guard to drag him out of the cell. Dante tr
aipsed out after him, his eyes wide with alarm, and Troy knew that they were busted. One of the officers went into the cell to search. Another officer remained behind and frisked them.
He was panicking, starting to sweat, and he knew he was only making it worse for himself.
There was a cry from inside the cell, and the officer emerged, holding up the mobile phone.
“Got something,” the officer holding it said, sliding it into a plastic bag. He turned to Troy and Dante. “Care to explain what you’re doing with a phone? You both know it’s against the rules.”
Troy opened and closed his mouth, his forehead dripping with sweat and looking guilty as hell, and Dante shrugged beside him. The officers cuffed Troy, who began to struggle at once.
“Let go of me,” he shouted.
“Banks, you keep this up, you’ll be going down the block,” the officer struggling with him growled, and Troy let out a groan of pain as he twisted against the cuffs around his wrists and slumped, defeated. He allowed himself to be led off down the corridor for questioning, without even a glance at Dante.
He wondered if they would keep searching until they found the drugs too. He would be up shit creek if they did, he thought. He stopped struggling against the cuffs, realizing it was futile to resist anymore.
Troy grimaced, wondering how things could have gone from hopeful to shit so fast.
* * *
Clint paced the floor at the foot of the hospital bed, his trainers squeaking on the lino and his eyes still struggling to adjust to the strip lighting above them.
“Stop worrying,” Aurora said from the bed, their daughter nestled in her arms. “Kojo isn’t stupid, he’ll be okay.”
“Why hasn’t he come to see her?” Clint asked, shaking his head. “His own niece and he’d rather go out with his mates.”
“You don’t know that,” Aurora sighed. “He could’ve got stuck in traffic.”
“You really believe that?” Clint asked, looking at her skeptically.
Aurora looked down at their daughter and smiled, and Clint knew that she had no interest in discussing Kojo. He understood, but it still frustrated him. Kojo was his family, he should be here. Aurora glanced up at him, saw he was still annoyed, and shook her head gently.
“If he doesn’t come today, so what?” Aurora asked. “Let’s just enjoy this moment. He won’t stay away forever, and when he comes we’ll be here.”
Clint didn’t feel entirely pacified but he nodded, not wanting to trouble Aurora. She had done amazingly well giving birth, he thought, and he loved her all the more for it. Aurora still looked beautiful, and his daughter was a beauty like her mother. Aurora held up her arms, and Clint went round the side of the bed, leaning down so that he could take the baby off her.
She gurgled as Aurora transferred her to his arms, and seemed to cuddle into the warmth of his tracksuit top, her eyes blinking a few times, before closing, her tiny fingers and toes twitching, her lips parting slightly as she breathed.
“She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?” Aurora asked.
“The most beautiful girl in the world,” Clint agreed. “Apart from you.”
Clint looked at his daughter and knew he would do anything to protect her, keep her and her mother safe. She was his blood and it was his duty to look after her, make sure she was happy and content and secure. He would take pride in that duty, he knew, and he would always love this little girl, wrapped in her pink blanket, her tiny hand opening and closing, the fingers so amazingly small he could hardly believe it.
“I had an idea about a name,” Aurora said from the bed, “It’s just an idea, so if you don’t like it that’s fine.”
“Come on then,” Clint smiled, glancing at her.
“Angel,” Aurora said. Her voice was quiet, uncertain, but Clint looked at his daughter and knew that the name was perfect. He nodded, looking down at baby Angel and knowing that she was indeed a gift from heaven.
“It’s perfect,” he said, and Aurora beamed. He went back to the side of the bed and bent down so that Aurora could hold Angel again. “Our little Angel.”
Aurora looked adoringly down at their daughter in her arms, and Clint smiled, a tear pooling in the corner of his eye. It was a happy tear, and he knew that he had never felt happier than standing here looking at the two girls he loved.
* * *
Adrianna still felt annoyed after her argument with Brandy earlier, but she forced the memory out and tried to clear her mind. She didn’t regret what she had said, because she was certain it was true. Brandy had once been queen of this estate, or at least she had thought she was, dating the youngest Banks brother and treating everyone else like shit. Now Brandy was a single mum with no interest in being a mother, no man to boast of and no respect from anyone. Even most of her friends had ditched her. Adrianna on the other hand was rising to the top, she was sure of it. She liked Trent and she hoped he would make her his official girl. It wasn’t like he had a proper girlfriend anyway, just a bunch of girls he slept with, and she was sure that she was his favourite, the most likely choice for a girlfriend. If he didn’t, at least she still had Sanjay. She liked him too, but he had a girlfriend and she felt sure after this morning that he had no intention of ditching Fernanda to be with her, but it was always good to keep options open, and Adrianna wouldn’t dismiss him just yet.
She thought of her parents back home in Poland, wondering why they had no interest in coming to London. They had allowed her to go with her brother, and she had quickly found that she hadn’t missed them all that much. They did not understand her. She wanted glamour, riches and excitement, and she was sure that being Trent’s girlfriend would give her all that and more.
“You look nice,” Trent said as he let her into his flat. Adrianna smiled, giving him a twirl so he could get the view of every angle. “Your tits look good in that top.”
Adrianna’s smile faltered, but she took the compliment regardless. There were a lot of things she would change about him, but she knew it would have to be one step at a time. She’d get him back in the gym so he could get back in shape, and she’d definitely insist they get a place of their own. She found it almost embarrassing that he still lived with his mum and brother in a crowded, dingy flat on the Goldsworth. She wanted a luxury pad in Kensington or Shoreditch, not in this dump. Still, she thought, there was plenty of time for that when they were official.
She led the way through the lounge to Trent’s bedroom, ignoring Keskia’s disapproving look as she passed in front of her on the sofa. Trent’s mum didn’t like her, she knew that much, but Brandy had once told her that the Banks brothers’ mum didn’t seem to like any girl except her precious daughter.
Trent closed the bedroom door behind them, and turned on some music so they wouldn’t be heard from the lounge. Adrianna smiled at him, sitting down on the edge of the bed. His room smelt of weed, deodorant and dirty socks, but she didn’t say anything. She had to remind herself that until she was officially his girlfriend, she had to watch her step.
Trent sat down beside her and kissed her, his hands sliding up her thighs at once, and Adrianna swallowed down her frustration. He hadn’t even asked her how she was, or told her anything about how his day had been. Normally she would have let it slide, but with the words she had told Brandy echoing in her mind, she put a hand on his and pulled it out from beneath her skirt. Trent looked disappointed.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, put out. “Aren’t you in the mood?”
“Of course I am,” Adrianna said. Trent grinned, and made to reach for her skirt, but stopped when Adrianna clasped his hand in hers again. “But I thought maybe we could watch a film or something first. Maybe talk? I don’t know, just something before we, you know –”
Trent looked bewildered.
“What kind of chick shit is this?” he asked slowly, eyes narrowing. “You’re not about to tell me you’re knocked up are you?”
Adrianna scowled.
“No, ‘course I ain’t,” she
snapped. “I just want us to be more like a couple, not just friends with benefits without the friends part, you know?”
She realised from the look on Trent’s face that she had said the wrong thing, and swallowed hard. Trent didn’t look excited at the mention of being a couple, and she wondered if it was too late to try and backtrack.
“We ain’t a couple and we won’t be,” Trent said firmly, and she sensed the anger simmering beneath the surface. “How many times do I have to say it?”
“I’m sorry,” Adrianna said, feeling dismayed. “I just thought –”
“Stop fucking thinking,” Trent said. “You don’t need to think, okay? All you need to do when you’re with me is look hot, spread your legs and stay on the pill.”
Adrianna reacted at once, drawing back her hand and slapping him hard across the face. The sound reverberated around the bedroom. Trent looked shocked and was silent for a long moment, and Adrianna held her breath, lowering her hand into her lap, shocked by what she had just done.
Trent’s eyes were wide as he raised a hand to his cheek, rubbing the skin where her hand had left a mark, and Adrianna stood up, the bed creaking lightly beneath her, and went to the bedroom door.
She took a last glance at Trent, still holding his cheek, looking as if he wasn’t quite sure what had just happened. She smirked, shook her head and left him there.
* * *
Aurora watched Angel sleeping in her cot that the nurses had brought in and placed alongside her hospital bed. Clint sat in the chair on the other side of her bed, checking his phone every few minutes. She knew that he was still hoping for a call from Kojo and she felt bad for him, but she wished he could find satisfaction in their daughter rather than worrying about his brother.
The Goldsworth Series Box Set Page 98