With no home to go to, Nancy nodded miserably. Queenie had insisted earlier that Michael’s ex-girlfriend was lying about being pregnant, but Nancy still didn’t know that for sure. Say she was at the hospital too? Also, Vinny was bound to be there, and just being within a fifty-yard radius of him gave Nancy the heebies.
‘Yous two coming, or what?’ Brenda asked, impatiently.
Knowing she had two choices, none and sod all, Nancy followed Brenda and Dean out of the house.
When Ahmed returned with both Karen and his son, Vinny wasn’t happy. According to a nurse he had just spoken to, Roy was still being operated on and he needed Karen around him at a time like this like a boil on his arse. ‘Why didn’t you send him home with Brenda like I asked? Is it too much for you to respect my wishes, even though my brother is on death’s door?’
Karen was rather taken aback. ‘Our son was confused and upset, Vinny. He couldn’t understand what was going on. He wanted to stay with me, and seeing as we’ve been getting along well and I am his mother, I didn’t see it as a problem. I wasn’t going to take him home to Dagenham with me. I was worried about you and Roy, so was going to stay at the club with Little Vinny until you got back.’
Colleen had been in a hysterical state after arriving earlier at the hospital, and was currently being treated for shock. Seeing her parents walking back towards him, Vinny led Karen around another corridor. ‘Look, I’m sorry, OK? I’m just stressed and off my head with worry.’
Little Vinny followed his parents, and desperate to get his dad’s attention, leapt up and down while holding his arm.
‘Stop it! What’s a matter?’ Vinny shouted at his son.
‘Is Uncle Roy dead?’ Little Vinny asked.
‘No, he’s being operated on.’
‘But, might he die?’
Vinny bent down and shook his son violently. ‘Stop asking such fucking morbid questions. Do you want your uncle to die, do ya?’
‘Stop it, Vinny, you’ll hurt him. He’s only five. He doesn’t know what he’s saying,’ Karen pleaded.
When his son burst into tears, Vinny stood up, put his head in his hands and leant against the wall. ‘You had the right idea originally, Karen. Just take him back to the club and wait there until I get back. I should imagine I’ll be stuck here all night, so you can both sleep in my double bed. Tell Pete and Paul I said it was OK.’
Putting Vinny’s foul mood and temper down to the family crisis he was currently experiencing, Karen kissed him politely on the cheek and dragged her son down the corridor.
When Nancy arrived at the hospital, Michael immediately clocked how glum she looked and, desperate to speak to her alone, led her away from the rest of his family. He stopped at the nearest drinks machine. ‘Here you go,’ he said, handing her a plastic cup filled with weak-looking tea.
‘I’m so sorry there is no good news about your brother yet, and I hate to bother you with trivial things at an awful time like this, but I remembered on the way here that I left my case at the club earlier. I have to pick it up at some point tonight, as I won’t be able to go to work tomorrow otherwise.’
Realizing that Nancy was near to tears and guessing the reason why, Michael put his cup on the floor, did the same with hers, and then held her tightly to his chest. ‘I spoke to my mum about Denise turning up like she did. She definitely isn’t pregnant. My mum wouldn’t say how she knows, she isn’t a grass, but I think we can safely say that Vinny already knew about you and I and set the situation up. Roy might have been involved as well, and I will find out the truth, but obviously now is not the right time for me to be kicking off about it.’
‘So, your mum is absolutely one hundred per cent positive that Denise is making the whole thing up?’
‘Cross my heart, and don’t worry about work. We’re gonna be getting our own place soon and your job will be to cook and clean indoors then. It’s only poxy Woolworth’s. I don’t really want you working there anyway. It looks bad on me.’
Nancy was immediately startled. She liked her job in Woolworth’s, had made some good friends there, and she adored working alongside Rhonda. They had such a laugh in Woolies, and sitting at home bored stiff didn’t bear thinking of. ‘Look, Michael, once we get married and start a family, I will obviously give up work to bring up our children, but until then I want to continue working. I know it’s not the best job in the world, but I actually really enjoy it.’
Knowing that it was the wrong time to argue this point, Michael kissed Nancy on the forehead. ‘OK, but I insist you take tomorrow off. We’re bound to be stuck up here all night and you can’t go to work with no sleep. Now drink your tea, and let’s get back to the others and see if there is any news on Roy yet.’
After going outside to get a bit of fresh air to try to clear his fucked-up head, Vinny was amazed when his mum and aunt informed him that Colleen had now been sedated and given a bed in the hospital herself for the night. Vinny couldn’t help but smirk. ‘Fuck me. She’s gonna make a great nurse her, ain’t she?’ he quipped.
For once, Queenie was in no mood for Vinny’s little jokes. Even though he hadn’t admitted it when she had asked him earlier, Queenie was no fool and she knew that the bullet that was currently being removed from Roy’s shattered skull had actually hit the wrong son. ‘Don’t be so sodding heartless, Vinny. How did you expect the girl to react? Her engagement party was meant to be one of the best days of her life. Colleen didn’t expect it to end not knowing if her future husband was going to live or die, did she?’
‘Mum, the doctor’s coming now,’ Lenny said, rushing down the corridor.
Vivian and Queenie both leapt out of their seats. Brenda laid her head on Dean’s shoulder and for the first time in her life, silently prayed.
‘Is he OK? Please tell me the operation was a success?’ Queenie gabbled, beside herself once again.
‘He is alive, ain’t he?’ Vivian asked, noting the serious expression in the doctor’s eyes.
‘Yes, Roy is still alive. Shall we have a chat in one of the family rooms, Mrs Butler?’
Clinging to her sister’s arm, Queenie shook her head. ‘Whatever you’ve got to say, just say it here. We’re all family.’
Urging Queenie to sit down, Dr Howard sat on a chair next to her. ‘Overall, the operation performed on your son was a success.’
‘Thank you, God. Thank you so, so much,’ Queenie whispered, clasping her hands together and staring at the ceiling.
‘However, even though we are sure we have removed most of the fragments of the bullet, there has been some bleeding to the brain which might well cause other complications.’
Vivian chewed at her fingernails. ‘What sort of complications?’
‘My brother is gonna be OK, right?’ Vinny asked.
Dr Howard took a deep breath. ‘To be honest, it is a miracle that your brother is still with us. We will be able to tell you more about what the future holds if and when Roy regains consciousness.’
Feeling the colour drain from his face, Michael clutched Nancy’s hand for support. ‘What do you mean, if and when he regains consciousness? You must know if Roy is gonna wake up or not?’
If there was one thing that Queenie hated it was being kept in the dark. ‘Look ’ere, Doctor. That is my son lying in there and, good or bad, I want to know the truth about his condition. We’re a strong family and you don’t have to dress things up for the likes of us.’
‘The truth is, Mrs Butler, brain injuries of this kind are very hard to predict the outcome of. Obviously, there is a chance that your son might never regain consciousness, but we are extremely hopeful that he will.’
‘I don’t want my cousin to die. I love him,’ Lenny wept.
Vivian cuddled her distraught son. ‘Roy needs you to be brave, son. He ain’t gonna die, not with his genes.’
‘My poor boy. When he wakes up, he will still be able to walk and talk properly, won’t he, Doctor?’ Queenie asked.
‘I really can’t answer
that question, Mrs Butler. We will not know the full extent of Roy’s injuries until he wakes up.’
Vinny began pacing up and down the corridor. ‘Apart from my brother actually dying, I wanna know the worst scenario, Doctor. As a family, we need to be prepared for what might lie ahead of us.’
Dr Howard sighed. He was used to giving out bad news to people, but never found it an easy task dealing with families such as the Butlers. Hardcore East Enders were always pessimists rather than optimists, and seemed to crave to hear the worst.
‘OK. I will explain this as thoroughly as I can to you all. Obviously, there is a small chance that Roy might wake up and be exactly as he was before, but this is highly unlikely. The probability is, Roy’s memory will be affected and he will have to learn some basics all over again. By basics, I mean, walking, talking, dressing himself, eating, even using his arms possibly. That is the usual scenario with injuries such as Roy has sustained, but you never know what to fully expect until the patient is fully conscious, and Roy could turn out to be one of the lucky ones. If he isn’t, then we have specialists that he will work with to help rehabilitate him back into society once more.’
Realizing there was a strong chance that his brother might wake up to be what he had always called a vegetable was far too much for Vinny to take in, and he started to head-butt a nearby wall.
When Queenie and Vivian both leapt up to try and calm him down, realizing they were having no joy, Michael quickly took matters into his own hands. He put his arm around his brother’s shoulders and spoke softly to him. ‘You’re upsetting everyone, mate. Roy’s gonna be OK. We both know he’s as strong as an ox. Let’s go outside and get some fresh air, eh? I dunno about you but I could really do with a smoke.’
When Vinny allowed Michael to lead him down the corridor, Queenie put her head in her hands. What she had gone through tonight was every mother’s worst nightmare, and she knew in her heart of hearts that her strapping, handsome middle son would never be the same again. Mother’s intuition was a strong thing, and Queenie had been born with a bucketful of the stuff.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The days that followed Roy’s shooting were probably the worst of Queenie’s life. She had suffered much hardship over the years, especially as a child when living with her brute of a father, but not even seeing her mother beaten to a pulp compared to sitting at her son’s beside day after day willing him to pull through.
Roy was still in a coma and Queenie felt completely helpless. As a doting mother, she had always done her utmost to be there for her children in a crisis but for once, apart from pray, there was little she could do. Her son’s life was in the hands of the gods, and not knowing if he was ever going to wake up was giving Queenie sleepless nights. Even worse was the thought of Roy waking up permanently brain-damaged. Queenie knew in her soul that she would rather Roy never wake up at all than be a completely different person to the one that he was before.
Queenie was snapped out of her depressing thoughts by the return of Colleen. Her parents had just gone back to Ireland, where they had two other young children to care for, and had begged Colleen to do the same. Colleen had flatly refused and, once she had recovered from the initial shock of the shooting, had spent day and night at her fiancé’s bedside.
‘Hospitals always make you feel so grubby, don’t they? I never noticed it so much working in one, but I do as a visitor. I take it the doctor hasn’t been in today yet?’
Queenie shook her head sadly, watching as Colleen sat down next to Roy and lovingly clasped his lifeless hand in her own. Colleen had been a real little diamond these past few days, but Queenie was worried about her health and state of mind. She had a sickness bug that just wouldn’t budge. She wasn’t eating at all, and spent all her time chatting happily to Roy as though he could actually hear her. ‘Have you thought about when you are going to go back to work yet, love?’
Colleen looked at her future mother-in-law in horror. ‘I’ll think about that when Roy wakes up. I need to be here with him, Queenie. He’s my life.’
‘I understand that, darling, but he could be in a coma for a while yet. My Roy would hate to see you mess all your nurse’s training up. He was so proud you were doing so well with it.’
‘I can’t concentrate on my exams at a time like this, Queenie. It’s impossible.’
Queenie nodded. She could understand where the girl was coming from. ‘You must sort out that bug and start eating more though, darling. Not gonna look good in your wedding dress if you are all skin and bones, are you?’
Appreciating Queenie’s optimism, Colleen smiled. ‘I’ll book a doctor’s appointment as soon as I get a chance, OK?’
‘There’s a good girl.’
Over in Ilford, Donald had spotted the MAN SHOT OUTSIDE NIGHTCLUB headline earlier in the day, but had been far too busy to read the article. However, as his eyes now scanned down the page and he spotted the name Roy Butler, he felt his heart begin to beat wildly. Not wanting to worry Mary, Donald ran upstairs with the paper in his hand and waved it in Christopher’s face. ‘Read this, son. It’s definitely the same Butlers, and the shooting happened the same evening your sister left home. Can you to go down to Woolworth’s and try to talk some sense into that stupid girl? Surely, she now must realize what a mess she has got herself into.’
Christopher read the article through to the end, then stood up. ‘OK, Dad. I’ll go and speak to Nancy right now.’
When Karen saw her new flat for the very first time, she literally clapped her hands with glee. It was spacious, modern, fully furnished and even had its own little garden.
‘Well? What do you think, Karen?’ Ahmed asked politely.
Karen grinned at Vinny, then turned to Ahmed. ‘Oh, I love it. Is the TV, oven, sofa and fridge all included?’
Ahmed nodded.
Unable to wipe the smile off her face, Karen asked to see the garden properly. The sun was shining as Ahmed lifted the blind and unlocked the door and when Karen strolled outside, she could just imagine hanging her washing out and sunbathing. After being stuck in a tower block for the past four years, it really was a heavenly feeling.
‘So, it’s OK then?’ Vinny asked.
Karen grinned. ‘Yeah, it’s great. I’m going to look at the bathroom and main bedroom properly now.’
‘Get in there and explain,’ Vinny hissed, when Karen opened the wardrobe door and asked who all the clothes belonged to.
‘My previous tenant. There has been a problem with them picking up their belongings, so you cannot move in until Monday now,’ Ahmed told Karen.
‘That’s fine. I need to sort out my own stuff at the flat anyway. I won’t need to bring much with me now, seeing how this is already furnished. It will just mainly be personal belongings and all my clothes and shoes.’
‘Well, I’ll help you sort that out, babe. Now, shall we go grab a bit of lunch? I need to eat before I go back up the hospital,’ Vinny suggested.
Thinking how wonderfully kind Vinny had been to her recently, Karen held his arm and squeezed it.
When Vinny glanced back as he walked towards the car, Ahmed winked at him. Even though there were personal belongings scattered all over the flat, the not-so-bright Karen had fallen hook, line, and sinker into their web of deceit.
Terrified of being spotted, Albie Butler hung around outside the London Hospital in the long tan raincoat and big brown hat his sons had made him wear to visit Queenie. Rumours spread like wildfire in Whitechapel, and Albie knew without a doubt that his little white lie would now be common knowledge. His evil son had put the boot in good and proper once again, which is why Albie had had no choice than to leave the East End on the same night Roy had been shot. He hadn’t wanted to, of course. He had been desperate to go to the hospital with the rest of his family, but Vinny had pulled him to one side and all but told him that if he came near any of the family ever again he would end up in a coffin.
Albie crouched down against a nearby wall. He had been rin
ging the hospital daily, but even though he had sworn he was Roy’s dad they had still refused to update him on his son’s condition. The only thing they would tell him was that Roy was still alive.
When Albie had quickly packed his few belongings and left Whitechapel, he had luckily still had the two hundred quid that Vinny had stuffed in his jacket pocket as a bribe. Not knowing where to go, Albie had returned cap in hand to Becontree Heath and as luck would have it, Pauline had snatched a hundred quid out of his hand, proclaimed she had missed him, and welcomed him back into her home with open arms.
Albie put his hand inside the pocket of his raincoat and checked that the letters were still there. He had spent all yesterday evening writing them in the Matapan pub, and although he had never been a man of words, for once he felt he had done himself proud. For all Queenie’s faults, she deserved to know the truth, not only about how she had made him feel over the years, but also that her eldest son was out of control. He had to warn her if only for Roy and Colleen’s sake. As much as Albie hated to admit it, his sperm had produced a wrong ’un, and he would wait at the hospital for as long as it took. Michael was the only one he could truly trust, which is why he had written him a separate letter. His family were entitled to know what they were dealing with, and Albie was determined that they read the truth from him. Whether or not they believed it was another matter.
Nancy was incredibly anxious as she walked over to her brother. Rhonda had told her he was standing by the till, and apart from her father, Christopher was the last person she wanted to see. ‘What’s up?’ she asked, as casually as she could. She then gestured for her brother to follow her outside the shop.
‘I would rather say what I have to say here, thank you, Nancy. I feel your colleagues might be able to help me make you see sense,’ Christopher stated, hands on hips.
Clocking both her colleagues’ and the customers’ awkward glances, Nancy grabbed Christopher by the arm and tried to lead him outside the shop. ‘Don’t you dare show me up. We’ll speak outside,’ she hissed.
Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Butler Collection Page 24