They All Fall Down

by Cat Hogan

  ‘What the fuck, Jen? What is your problem?’ he shouted.

  ‘Doc, you need to come with me now.’ She could see he was really drunk, and high on something.

  ‘I don’t need to do anything with you – are you for real, like?’

  ‘Doc, it’s Tess. She needs you.’

  ‘Oh for gawd sake! What’s wrong with her now? I’m trying to enjoy myself here. If she wants to go to bed early let her!’

  ‘You selfish prick! Your wife is upstairs, having a miscarriage. We need to get her to a hospital now.’

  Jen heard a roar, but it wasn’t from Doc.

  ‘You never told me the bitch was fucking pregnant!’ Clara screamed at him, as her hand connected with his face. She too, was high as a kite.

  Scott had the good sense to grab her, and tell her to stop making a scene.

  ‘Jen, will I call an ambulance?’ he asked as he shunted Clara in the direction of the house.

  ‘No, I’ll drive,’ Andy said.

  ‘Come on, will ye? We need to get to her.’ Jen was nearly in tears by now. Andy couldn’t drive, as he had been drinking – obviously not as much as Doc but still over the limit, and Doc was in no state to take his wife to the hospital.

  They were back up in the room within minutes.

  ‘I’ll wait outside, Jen,’ Andy said.

  ‘Tess, honey, we’re back!’ Jen called softly as she opened the door.

  Tess was grey in the face and clearly needed to get to hospital fast. Jen threw a couple of things into her weekend bag, before wrapping her in the throw from the bed.

  Doc stood like a hare in the headlights, not knowing what to do or say. He had sobered up slightly. ‘Tess, baby, are you OK?’

  Jen cringed at his choice of words, and at how loud he was.

  ‘No, I’m not OK, and you’re in bits! You’re not coming anywhere with me. Go back down to your drink and your woman! I fucking hate you! I’ve seen how you’ve been around that whore!’

  He didn’t even protest. He just looked at her, and walked out of the room in silence, past Andy and back down the stairs.

  Andy knocked on the door and came in.

  ‘Go get the car keys, Jen, and bring the car round to the front door,’ he said as he crouched down beside Tess.

  Jen didn’t question it, she just went.

  ‘Tess, honey,’ Andy said. ‘I know this isn’t ideal, and you are scared, but I need to get you down to the car and to a hospital. Jen and I will come with you and look after you, OK? It’s not far from here, OK?

  Tess nodded as the tears ran down her face.

  ‘Do you think you can walk?’

  She tried to stand but her legs were like jelly. She was lightheaded and looked as though she was about to be sick. She slumped back down onto the floor.

  ‘I’m going to carry you, Tess. Is that OK?’

  Again, she nodded her consent.

  He scooped her up, still wrapped in the throw, and headed out of the bedroom.

  Livia met them at the bottom of the stairs.

  ‘Can I do anything, Andy?’ she said with real concern.

  ‘Sober her husband up and get him to the hospital in the morning,’ he replied over his shoulder. ‘Ring the hospital and tell them we’re on the way in.’

  Outside, he laid Tess on the back seat of the car, and jumped in the front.

  ‘Take it handy now, Jen.’

  They were at the hospital in less than twenty minutes, and a team was waiting there. Livia had rung in and explained the situation.

  They sat hand in hand in the relatives’ room and waited for some news. As the sun began to rise, Jen nodded off on Andy’s shoulder. She was really amazed at how calm and together he had been in the situation. Calmer than her, and so kind to Tess.

  The door opened and a doctor in scrubs came in with a nurse.

  ‘Are you the husband?’ He was quite gruff and less than polite.

  ‘No, I’m not. I’m her friend. We brought her in last night.’

  ‘How is she?’ Jen asked him.

  ‘Are you a relative?’

  Jen wanted to lie and tell him she was her sister, but she went red at the thought and just shook her head.

  ‘I can’t go into specifics but she is out of the woods. She was quite poorly, but is going to be fine. She’s out of surgery.’

  ‘What about the baby?’ Jen asked.

  The doctor ignored her question. ‘You can pop in to her for a few minutes. One of you. She needs rest, so don’t stay long. Is her husband on the way in?’

  The look that passed between Jen and Andy made it obvious to the doctor the husband wouldn’t be running in with flowers any time soon.

  ‘Keep your visit short. Well done for getting her in here when you did. She was lucky you were there for her.’ He nodded and smiled before leaving the room.

  ‘Go on in to her, Jen. I’m sure she could do with a hug.’

  Tess was dozing on the bed when Jen came in.

  ‘Jen … hi,’ she croaked.

  ‘Ah, Tess!’ Ignoring the machinery and bags, Jen gave her friend a hug.

  ‘The baby is gone, Jen.’

  ‘Tess, I’m so sorry. You poor darling.’

  ‘I’m OK.’

  ‘You need to try and get some rest, Tess. I’ll come back in a few hours with a bag of things for you. I can take Hugh for the few days as well. Leave it to me and your parents. We will sort it out for you, and I will talk to the staff in the pub.’

  ‘Thanks, Jen. You’re a real pal. He’s having an affair with Clara, isn’t he? He’s gone, Jen – I’ve lost him too, to women and drugs.’

  ‘Come on, Tess, you can’t think about all that stuff now. You need to get some rest. We are here for you, it’s going to be OK.’

  Jen’s words sounded so empty. Tess began to doze off – the after-effects of the anaesthetic. Jen slipped out the door and let her sleep. She needed to get back to Scott’s house to collect Tess’s things and her own, and then she would go see Hugh and his grandparents. Tess’s mam and dad needed to know what was going on.

  She also needed to find Doc and see if he had sobered up. After his behaviour over the last while, she would be mighty surprised if he was still at the house.

  Chapter 23

  She felt strange rocking back up to the house in daylight, still in her dress from the night before. All she wanted was a shower and some breakfast, but the urge to get away from Scott and never come near his house again was overwhelming.

  Livia met them at the front door. It was half seven in the morning, but she looked bright and fresh. She insisted they go upstairs, shower and change while the chef prepared a good breakfast for them. Scott was in bed, but would be up shortly. She also informed them that Clara had left and, sometime after, Doc had gone too. That was hours ago.

  ‘He didn’t come to the hospital,’ Jen said.

  ‘Then we can assume he went after Clara,’ said Livia.

  Jen and Andy went up to the room. There was a real closeness between them now, the drama of the previous night having brought them together even more.

  ‘Poor Tess,’ he said. Freshly showered, he looked less shook. ‘What kind of person would you be, to leave your wife and chase a bit of skirt like that, and under those circumstances? I could actually punch him.’

  ‘I don’t know, Andy. Doc was always fairly decent. It’s mental – he has gone totally off the rails lately. It’s no coincidence that this has all happened since he and Scott have become so pally.’

  ‘Jen, you can’t blame Scott for Doc having an affair. Come on, that’s nuts.’

  ‘Look – Scott invited Clara here, knowing that Tess was coming – a nightmare scenario for Doc. I don’t know why Scott did that but I do know he’s plying Doc with coke or something – and you know that as well as I do. So no, I don’t blame him for the affair – I just blame him for everything else.’

  ‘Why do you have it in for him so much, Jen? Is it a jealousy thing? Scott is a very
good friend of mine. Do you feel threatened by that? He’s never done you any harm.’

  The memory of the day in her kitchen and the conversation with Livia from the previous evening were at the forefront of her head. If only you knew, she thought.

  ‘Open your eyes, Andy. He’s not all that he is cracked up to be. Just ask yourself why he brought Clara here. What was he trying to achieve with that?’

  ‘Jen, I don’t know, do I? Maybe he didn’t know what was going on. Maybe he’s sweet on her.’

  He was getting really short with her now, and it hurt.

  ‘He has no interest in her that way, Andy. Just trust me on that. Let’s just go get breakfast and get out of here. I need to collect Tess’s things and get down to her parents. They probably have no idea. I don’t want to argue with you, pet.’

  They arrived into the dining room to Sal and Livia at the table, waiting for them. Sal looked very hungover, as if she hadn’t slept all night.

  ‘How is she, Jen?’

  ‘Not good at all, Sal. She lost the baby, and had to have surgery. I’m not too sure of the details really. Are you OK?’

  ‘Not really.’ Sal started to cry.

  Jesus, what now, Jen thought. Her heart went out to her friend.

  ‘It all kicked off after you left last night. I was in the loo, and when I came back out Clara, Scott and Doc were having a big row. Oh Jen, I should have listened to you about him. He’s a real asshole! Em, sorry, Livia.’

  Livia swatted her hand in the air, and told her to carry on.

  ‘Well, Clara was having a go at Doc about Tess being pregnant. It turns out they’ve been seeing each other for the last couple of years. Scott knew all about it too. Then Doc rang her one day out of the blue and told her that it was off, that he was trying to do the right thing by Tess. So Clara started sleeping with Scott, just to spite Doc I guess. Scott invited her here just to score off Doc. Then she and Doc saw each other, and they got it on again.’

  ‘Two years? What an absolute prick!’ Jen couldn’t believe her ears. She knew that he was playing around, but it was incredible that it was for so long. ‘Go on, Sal – what are you not telling me?’

  ‘I kinda thought Scott and I had something. He was so upset the night of Arthur’s funeral, I stayed with him, and one thing led to another. We’ve been seeing each other ever since. I thought he liked me, ya know?’

  ‘Ah, Sal!’ Jen let her cry on her shoulder.

  Poor Andy looked on, slack-jawed. All this high emotion and drama in the last few hours was hard to get a handle on.

  ‘Sal, my poor girl, I am so sorry,’ Livia said, ‘and I can only apologise to you all for the behaviour of my son. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but you are one of many, Sal. Scott doesn’t have it in him to be faithful to a girl, or his friends.’ She gave Jen a loaded look, as if to say: keep your mouth shut about last night’s conversation.

  ‘It’s not your fault, Livia – he’s a grown man,’ Jen said. ‘Anyway, we’d best be off. Sal, do you want to come with us?’

  ‘Please eat before you leave,’ Livia said. ‘Breakfast is just about ready. I insist.’

  A breakfast of Eggs Benedict was served, along with brioches, fresh fruit and steaming coffee. What’s wrong with a fecking rasher sandwich and a mug of tea, Jen thought, but kept it to herself. She’d had a bellyful of all this pretentiousness and couldn’t wait to get home to normality. After all this bullshit, surely now Andy would see through Scott? Jen would broach the other subject when she had done a bit more digging.

  ‘So, when it all came out in the wash, Sal, what happened then?’

  ‘Clara went up to her room, packed, and left. She was pissed – I don’t know how she drove the car. They tried to reason with her, but she just ignored them. She just kept shouting at Doc about all the lies he told her about leaving Tess and moving in with her. Then Scott and Doc asked me to go get some drinks, which stupidly I did.’

  Jen could feel the embarrassment and humiliation from her, and she felt so bad for her friend.

  Sal stirred more sugar into her coffee and continued. ‘When I came back into the drawing room with the drinks, the boys had decided to take the party to the next level, and they were snorting a load of coke. They were kinda oblivious to me being there and were resolving something – a dispute they were having. Doc told him he would keep working for him. His life was fucked now, he said, so in for a penny, in for a pound. When they clocked me there, they changed the subject. Shortly after that, Doc said he was going to see Tess. I told him the hospital wouldn’t let him in at that hour. He just shook his head. He said he knew I was right, but he was leaving anyway. I tried to talk him out of driving as he was wasted. He just wouldn’t listen. I thought he had gone to the hospital, and you would be able to deal with him.’

  Andy stood up and walked out, without saying a word. He looked completely disgusted by the whole story.

  Livia said nothing – she just sat there with her head down, picking imaginary lint from her skirt.

  ‘When Doc left, I challenged Scott about Clara. He laughed at me and told me not to take it all so personally. For Scott, it was all about getting the leg over, but it’s so weird, we had some really nice times together over the last few weeks. I really thought he liked me.’

  ‘I’m sure he does, Sal,’ Livia said, ‘but all this is a game to him. He will put himself first, always. He is charming, charismatic, and spontaneous. Whip you up into a whirlwind, and then let you down. My advice to you is not have any more contact with him, and move on. Don’t worry about your exhibition – it was through my contacts he got you in there anyway. Now I think it’s for the best if you all left.’

  ‘Thank you so much, Livia – I’m very grateful,’ Sal said. ‘I’ll just go get my bags then.’ She got up and left the room.

  ‘Livia, I am truly sorry your night was ruined,’ Jen said. ‘Thank you for your kindness, and your advice.’ She looked at Livia, and felt so sorry for her. She knew in that moment she had been cleaning up Scott’s messes all her life.

  ‘Jen, I hope Andy is worth the trouble you have brought to the door of your friends. Arthur Jenkins’ death was the turning point for Scott. He’s out of control now. You need to be very careful from here on in. Scott hates you, like he did Andy’s wife. He won’t stop until you are out of the picture. He is beyond obsessive and possessive.’

  ‘I will go to the Guards.’

  ‘There is no point, dear. I will deny everything I ever said to you, and it will look as though you are as obsessive over Andy as he is. Which, in a way, is the truth. You are just coming from a good place, unlike him. Goodbye, Jennifer. We both know you are no longer welcome here.’

  And with that, she was gone.

  Jen went up to the room Tess had been staying in and gathered up her belongings. There wasn’t a trace of her husband in the room. He had taken everything with him, including the last of Tess’s money – Jen spotted the purse, open and empty on the vanity unit – it hadn’t been there the night before. She went to her own room to get her things, but Andy had already packed it all up and taken it to the car. She was in love with him, and she knew he was worth it.

  Andy and Sal were at the front of the house when she came downstairs.

  ‘He’s not here,’ Andy said.

  ‘Are you surprised?’ she asked as she opened the boot. ‘Sal, are you sure you’re OK to drive?’

  ‘Sal, I can take your car if you want to travel with Jen – it’s no problem.’

  Sal gave Andy a massive hug.

  ‘You are one in a million, Andy. I hope you realise that. Thanks for the offer, but to be honest I just need some time to myself. I’ll come round tonight for a cuppa and a chat.’ She released him out of the hug, and turned to Jen. ‘I’m sorry I was such a shit to you over the last while, Jen. We’ll talk about that soon. He really did a sales number on me and I’m ashamed how I let him influence me.’

  ‘It hurt, Sal. We do have some talking to do, but it
’s OK. We will sort it out, Sally Pally Pee.’

  Sal knew that Jen didn’t hold grudges, and they would do just that. Fight and argue, debate and solve. The habit of a lifetime.

  ‘Don’t text him, Sal. He’s not worth it.’ Jen looked at her before getting into the car. ‘I mean it. Let it go, Sal. See you tonight.’

  Jen watched her in the rear-view mirror as they drove away.

  ‘You do that a lot when you’re thinking about something, you know.’

  ‘Do what, Andy?’

  They had been sitting in silence for about twenty minutes. It was an OK silence.

  ‘You pull at your earlobe.’

  She smiled at him. He always noticed the little things about her, and it was a welcome distraction from the shit-storm raging around them.

  ‘What are you thinking about?’ he asked.

  ‘I was just wondering if Doc had gone home to Hugh, or if he’s up in Dublin with that trollop.’

  ‘He’s most likely in Dublin, Jen. He’s not going to be ready to face the music yet.’

  Jen was heartbroken for Tess and Hugh. She also felt so guilty about not telling Tess about the phone call she had overheard that night in her house. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference, but she felt as though she had been deceiving her friend. When she’s feeling better, I’ll tell her everything, she thought.