Rotten to the Core

by Casey Kelleher

  Slowly dropping down, Jay cowered behind a box and listened to Ryan bellowing down the phone:

  “Well, let me tell you now, you cunt, if you don’t deliver it to me in the next half an hour, I’m going to pay your wife a little visit, mate, you got that? Bet she likes a bit of cock, huh, your missus? If you’re not here in thirty minutes I’ll go round to yours and find out for myself.” Laughing then, he hung up the phone and he stumbled towards the office.

  Jay was crouching behind a box on the floor. Of all the people to walk in, it had to be bloody Ryan. He was a first-degree nut job, and Jay was betting that whoever he had spoken to on the phone was probably shitting themselves at the moment and rightly. He was a nasty bastard at the best of times, and tonight he looked worse for wear, like he had had a skinful.

  Jay sat against the wall and reached into his pocket to switch his phone off; then, having second thoughts turned it onto silent mode and got the video settings up. There was no way he was chancing getting up and making a jump for the window, not while Ryan was about. If he caught Jay snooping around he would string him up by his balls. He would have to wait it out. He angled the camera towards the main door. It may even turn out to be good entertainment; some poor sod was probably running here to Ryan’s beck and call as we speak. Let the show begin.

  19

  There was blood everywhere; she had never seen so much. She thought she would pass out. She thought that she had already done so, but everything was blurry.

  This can’t be real, she thought, and maybe it wasn’t, perhaps she had not yet woken up from a sick nightmare, and this was just a bad dream. It felt real, though. As yet another searing pain ripped through her, she realised that she was kidding herself; it was real, it was happening.

  Tears were running down her face. They were hot tears. She was not sure how long she had been crying, she had not realised she had been.

  She tried to get up, but she was too weak. The pain in her stomach was ripping through her body. Her T-shirt was soaked in thick, dark blood. The duvet, which was also covered in blood, would be ruined. Why was she even worrying about the bloody duvet at a time like this, she thought, sod it. Writhing in agony once more, she called out just before darkness swept over her for a second time.

  She wasn’t aware of Sonia’s finding Kate lying in a pool of blood and screaming; she wasn’t aware of the two paramedics that were at her side within minutes, or the panic in their voices as they rushed her to hospital, and she wasn’t aware that the tiny life she had been carrying inside her for the last four months was slowly slipping away from her.

  20

  Billy had been sitting at his sister’s bedside all night; she had a small room in intensive care. He had never felt as scared as he did right now: his poor baby sister.

  The doctors had said that the miscarriage was more complicated than most, and they had had to operate on Kate. In order to save her life, the doctors had no choice but to remove her uterus, to stem the bleeding. She had not only lost her baby but any hope of mothering a child in the future.

  Billy had told the doctors that he wanted to be the one to tell her, he didn’t want her to find out from a stranger, whether they were a doctor or not; this was going to rip her heart out.

  He looked down at his sister and willed for her to be okay. He knew she was over the worst, although she had lost six units of blood and he was just realising now how close he had been to almost losing her. Watching her lying there with tubes and monitors around her, Billy felt helpless. His beautiful sister. She had been so happy about being pregnant. He shouldn’t have over-reacted; he should have been there for her. Next time he would be there for her, whether he liked what she did or not. He would make it up to her. He wasn’t sure how she would react when she heard the news, and he felt scared for her. The last time he had felt so vulnerable was when he had lost his mum. God, he missed her. He wished she was here to help him, more than anything. She would know what to say, he thought, his mum always knew the right words to say.

  Billy could see Sonia in the corridor outside. She had bags under her eyes, as she had also been there all night. Billy had been rude to her, made her feel unwelcome, but he had only done it because of who she was. He could see the worry and grief in the woman’s eyes, she genuinely cared for Kate; he was sure. He thought about warning her to keep Jay away from the hospital, but he knew if he did he would have no chance of Kate forgiving him. As it stood, no-one had heard a dickey bird from him, anyway, causing Billy to have a conflict of feelings. He was glad that the prick was nowhere to be seen but fuming that the bastard didn’t care one fucking bit about Kate.

  Kate had moved around in the night but had yet to come round. The doctors had warned him that she was probably exhausted and when she did come round, she would feel very weak.

  Getting up to buy a coffee, Billy passed Sonia. She was surprised when his eyes softened and he offered her a cup of tea. Smiling gratefully, Sonia accepted. She guessed that the gesture was a lot more than a hot drink, it was a peace offering, and she was not going to be stubborn and refuse.

  Billy had been damn-right rude when he had first arrived. He had almost barged past her and looked at her like she was to blame for the situation, but she knew deep down that he just cared about Kate, it was all probably a fright for him.

  “What’s your cunt of a son done to her?” he had snarled, and not believing her reply that Jay had been nowhere to be seen that night had given her daggers for the rest of the night. She had known to stay well clear. She knew that Billy would have been worried sick seeing Kate in the state that she was in. She felt upset for the poor thing too. Billy was the first person that Sonia had called, they may have not been on speaking terms, but Sonia knew from many a conversation with Kate how close the two of them had been. If Kate needed anyone now it was her brother.

  Sonia had also rung Jay as soon as she had arrived at the hospital. She had come with Kate in the ambulance, and was more concerned about looking out for Kate than ringing Jay, as it was her call went straight to his voicemail. He was probably up to no good as usual, she sighed. That was seven hours ago now, and he still hadn’t got in touch. She didn’t need to feel guilty about him not being the first person she had contacted; she knew she was right to think he would have let Kate down. Billy was who Kate needed.

  Billy was standing by Sonia’s side now, he passed her a cup of tea and then sat in the seat opposite her. The ward was busier now; nurses were changing shifts.

  Billy put his coffee on the floor and rested his head in his hands. After a few minutes, he looked up, his eyes showing his pain.

  “What the hell am I going to say to her, Sonia?”

  “You’re just going to have to tell her the truth, Billy, there can be no skirting around it; the girl needs to be told.”

  Billy shook his head, wondering if he would be able to find the words that he knew would break his sister’s heart.

  “She loves you, Billy; you know that; despite it all, you have to be strong for her.”

  “Have you got hold of Jay yet?” he asked, trying not to spit the man’s name as he spoke it.

  “His phone is off.” She looked down, not meeting Billy’s eyes.

  Typical, Billy thought. Where the fuck was he then, fucking waster. Kate was lying in hospital; her whole life had just been ripped from her and no sign of lover boy. Well, hopefully Kate would realise she would never be able to count on a man like Jay. Billy would keep out of it for now, he promised himself, but he would be there to pick up the pieces; he just hoped that Kate would come to her senses sooner rather than later.

  “You should go home, Sonia, you look knackered.” Sonia noted that Billy’s tone was softer towards her; what he said wasn’t a dig or a command, more of a suggestion. She was exhausted, but she really wanted to be there when Kate woke up.

  “Do you mind if I stay, Billy?” She looked at him. “I just want to see that she’s okay; just let her know that I’m here for her. Me and Kate
have got really close these past few months, and you know, as her mum isn’t around I thought maybe she might need someone… woman to woman like.”

  Sonia was right. He hadn’t thought about it, really, what would he know about losing a baby and never being able to have another one? Kate was going to be a mess; he was going to be the one to tell her, but his sister would need this woman sitting opposite him even more over the next while.

  As Billy walked past Sonia to re-join Kate, he put his hand out and touched Sonia’s arm. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

  That was a very rare moment, Sonia thought; she wondered how many people were lucky enough to see the softer side of Billy O’Connell.

  Sonia heard an alarm in the room a few minutes later. Jumping to her feet, she saw Kate had come round, and that Billy was leaning over her, holding her and speaking softly to her; she couldn’t make out Kate’s expression, as Billy’s stocky shoulders were blocking her view, but as a nurse came running she heard Kate’s heart-breaking sobs.

  21

  Tanya looked at her reflection in the mirror, as she applied the last of her makeup. Pure perfection, she thought to herself. She knew her looks got her plenty of male attention, and she could do with a bit of an ego boost tonight, as Billy acted like she was invisible.

  She had gone all out and bought a fantastic dress for tonight, all shimmer and sparkle, with a very low-cut neckline that should guarantee some admiring glances. She was almost ready.

  Tanya hadn’t really wanted to go at first, the thought of sitting opposite a teary-eyed Kate all night really didn’t appeal. But the more Tanya thought about it, the more she had decided that she could do with a night out. A nice meal and a few bottles of wine would go down nicely.

  Billy had been acting funny these past few weeks, since Kate had lost the baby. He was worse than ever about his sister, trying to do everything and anything that he could to help her. Tanya played it cool, but she was seething; he had never made this much fuss over her, and these days to say she got little attention from him was an understatement. It was like she didn’t exist. He was so busy helping Kate that he hadn’t noticed Tanya losing her patience with him, their sex life had dwindled into nothing, and she was drinking more than ever.

  Well, tonight she would make him realise what he had been missing. Her hair had been highlighted and twirled into a French pleat by one of the best girls at the salon, her dress had cost a bomb and was so low cut at the front that her ample cleavage was spilling out, and she had waxed, scrubbed and tanned every part of her toned body. If nothing else came of this circus of a meal, she would use it to get his attention tonight, she grinned, as she squirted her favourite perfume onto her cleavage and the nape of her neck.

  Billy had arranged tonight and Tanya didn’t hold out much hope for how the evening would pan out. This was a big deal to Billy, and how he had the willpower to go through with it was beyond her, she was shocked that he had suggested it.

  They were going to La Riviera, an exclusive restaurant in Notting Hill. It was a very swanky place, with a waiting list of a month or two for most people, but Billy was friends with the manager. He always said to her “it’s the people you know,” and she guessed he was right, he had managed to get a reservation for the best table at a moment’s notice. Tanya was looking forward to the food, it was to die for. It was her favourite restaurant. Tonight, though, thanks to Billy losing the plot they were going to be joined by not only Kate, but Sonia and Jay.

  Tanya had thought, when Billy had told her who he had booked a table for, that it was Kate’s idea: there was no way that Billy would have thought of this, let alone organised it. He may have been jumping at every one of his sister’s pathetic whims at the moment, but this was too much. The more Tanya had stewed on it all, the more okay she had been with the whole charade; of course it was all going to go tits up, there was no way after everything that had happened that the two men would ever genuinely get on, and Tanya was now looking forward to the shit hitting the fan and blowing up straight in Kate’s face. Poor little Kate, she couldn’t have kids, big deal, loads of women couldn’t have kids; they coped… book a holiday, buy new shoes: life goes on. What about the kids with no parents, the orphans? There were options. It was so annoying to watch everyone running round after Kate, who was playing the victim; it was wearing a bit thin with Tanya.

  Billy had brought Kate to the house almost every day and the two had put their falling out behind them. They had spent so many hours talking things through, crying and laughing. Tanya had sometimes felt that she was in the way in her own bloody house.

  Kate needed her brother more than anyone, but she had made it clear to him that he needed to make peace with Jay, for all their sakes.

  Jay hadn’t been that upset when he had finally rolled in and been told, by Sonia, about the baby. Sonia had been shocked by his reaction: or lack of one. He had played up his feelings when he had seen Kate in the hospital, and Sonia had watched as her son had stood at Kate’s bedside and made up lie after lie of where he had been that night, and how he was feeling about losing his child. Sonia could see straight through him as only a mother could; she knew that her son had no real feelings for Kate and she had seen the look of relief in his eyes when she had told him that Kate had lost the baby. Billy had made himself scarce by then; he knew that he had to give Kate time.

  Billy had sobbed when Kate rang him a few days after she had left hospital, to thank him for being there for her. She said that that was what was important and that she wanted to stop arguing with him. She told him that she loved him, and she had cried. Every day since then, he had been there for her.

  Kate had suggested that Billy and Jay bury the hatchet, and even though there was only one place that Billy would have liked to bury it, he had smiled and nodded and agreed to do whatever it took, for her sake. This was a big deal for Billy, never in a million years would he normally consider giving Jay the time of day, let alone eating a meal with the guy, but he would do this for Kate. She didn’t need to know that it was going work in his favour; he was going keep Jay closer than ever, and watch the bloke’s every move, all the time knocking up brownie points for being brother of the year. Never again would he let anyone get between them, and next time his sister needed him he would be there.

  “Come on, Tan, we need to be making a move,” Billy shouted up the stairs.

  Tanya tottered down the stairs in her four-inch Jimmy Choos, waiting to see Billy’s face.

  “Fucking hell, you women take ages getting ready, we’re going to be late.” He reached for his keys and was out the door before he could see the rejection on Tanya’s face turn to pure hate.

  Kate convincing Jay to come to the meal was another story.

  Kate was also running late. She and Sonia both looked lovely. Sonia was wearing a hot pink dress that made her look radiant, while Kate had opted for an understated black shift dress. They had practically had to force Jay up the stairs to have a shower and put on a clean shirt.

  “What’s the fucking point, Kate? He hasn’t got the time of day for me, and I can’t fucking stand him,” he had protested, just to make a fuss really, to make Kate think that he was putting himself out for her. Actually, over the last few days, since Kate had first mentioned the dinner to him, Jay had come to the realisation that if Billy boy was on a mission to keep Kate happy, then Jay had him where he wanted him. Maybe he too could pretend that it was all forgiven, left in the past. Maybe this could be his ‘in’: people would think twice about fucking with him if they thought he and Billy were tight. As he ran the shower and waited for the water to heat up, he thought of the old saying: “Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer”.

  Sonia smiled with relief when she saw her son come back into the lounge twenty minutes later, dressed in his best suit and with a look on his face that suggested he may actually be able to enjoy the night. Maybe tonight, after all that had happened to poor Kate, the boys could put their problems with each other beh
ind them and make a fresh start.

  22

  Guzzling down a cold glass of chardonnay, Tanya was feeling tipsy. It was her third glass and had already had two at home while getting ready. So far, things hadn’t been bad. The food was gorgeous, as always; the fresh lobster Tanya had ordered had been cooked to perfection. It was just a shame about the company. There was no big drama, no daggers being thrown, it was all very civilized, or should she say very fake. Tanya could see by Billy’s body language every time he answered Jay that he was struggling; to everyone else around the table, Billy smiled and looked like he was enjoying himself… but Tanya knew.

  Jay was off his head. Tanya could see his pupils were dilated, and the guy had a real nervous energy. Constantly babbling on about crap, he had given Tanya the once over a few times. She knew the effect she had on men, especially weak ones like Jay, and he was good-looking. She glanced around to see if anyone else had spotted his leering. No-one had reacted to it, so she doubted that anyone else on the table had even noticed, especially Billy who had shown her absolutely no attention whatsoever. Fuck him, she thought, as she looked around the restaurant at the male eye candy.

  The restaurant was packed, waiters wearing white gloves running around at everyone’s beck and call, sucking up to the rich businessmen that were dining their wives or mistresses. One table near the cocktail bar had caught her eye, there were five guys having a meal; by the way they were dressed and acting, Tanya guessed that it was a business dinner. One very hot, tall blonde man kept meeting her eye. Tanya smiled at him. That’s a bit more like it, she thought, maybe someone else in this room appreciates beauty.

  “Tanya.” Billy nudged her. “Wake up, Sonia’s talking to you.”

  Interrupting her thoughts of the tall blonde guy ripping off her lacy knickers with his teeth, Tanya blushed.