Darkness

by Heather Atkinson

  “Hello Mr Maguire,” said a chirpy voice.

  He turned in his seat to see an attractive woman with dark blond hair and hazel eyes that always sparkled. “Hello Catherine.”

  Catherine was Jules’s assigned nurse and Mikey thought she was a treasure. She took excellent care of Jules and when his hopes for her recovery were at their lowest, Catherine always gave him hope. Plus she was good with Cara. When Jules had first been moved here Cara had been afraid to set foot inside the door, but with patient coaxing Catherine had managed it and his whole family was very grateful to her.

  “You brought her the CD then?” she said, indicating the headphones Jules wore.

  “Yeah, for all the good it’s done her.”

  “Don’t think like that. She can probably hear it and it’ll bring her comfort.”

  Mikey liked it when Catherine spoke like this, as though Jules was still a participating member of the human race. “Yeah, probably,” he smiled.

  “Is it the thrash metal?”

  “Yes, Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s preferable to the country and western music four of our patients listen to.”

  “Sounds hideous.”

  “It’s not all bad. I gave her hair a trim this morning, it was getting a bit unruly. Her hair does grow very quickly.”

  Jules’s hair was almost touching her shoulders, the longest he’d ever seen it. “I like it,” he said. “It suits her.”

  “Glad you think so.”

  “Have there been any signs?”

  “Of her waking up?”

  “Yeah.”

  “No, I’m sorry but that doesn’t mean there never will be.”

  Mikey looked back at Jules and took her hand. “She will wake up, I know it. You’ve no idea how strong she is.”

  Although she didn’t say it, Catherine knew exactly who her patient was, she’d done her research after her colleagues had let her in on the secret of who their most notorious patient was. But delving into her patient’s dubious past had done nothing to change her attitude towards her. The sheer helplessness of Jules’s condition touched Catherine’s maternal side and she treated her equally to the nun down the corridor who was in a similar condition after suffering a stroke. Plus her family were all respectful and well-behaved when they came to visit, at odds with their fearsome reputations, their love for Jules shining out of them and that was all that mattered to her. She’d worked with coma patients for years and she’d rarely seen anyone with the devotion Mikey Maguire showed, who was reputedly the most dangerous man in the north of England.

  “I’ve known people wake up after being in comas much longer than Jules has,” said Catherine.

  “She’ll do it, I know she will,” he said, eyes riveted on the prone figure in the bed.

  Catherine struggled to work out Mikey’s true feelings for Jules. She knew for a fact that he was her cousin but he acted more like her lover, despite her very hunky husband. Still, it was none of her business. “I’m finishing in an hour, I’ve got a few days off over Christmas so I wondered if there was anything you’d like me to do for her before I go?”

  “Who’s looking after her while you’re off?”

  “Lauren. She always looks after Jules when I’m off.”

  “Oh yes, her,” said Mikey. Lauren was good but he liked Catherine to look after Jules, he knew she was in safe hands when she was around but he couldn’t object to her taking some time off, she worked so hard. “No thanks, I think you’ve done everything. Go and have fun with the family.”

  “We’re off to the mother-in-law’s in Morecambe. She’s doing all the cooking, which means I get to put my feet up, for once.”

  “Good, you deserve it,” he said, forcing a smile. He held an envelope out to her. “Here’s a token of my family’s gratitude for everything you do for Jules.”

  “Thank you,” she said, accepting the envelope and opening it with a smile, which fell when she saw the cheque for five thousand pounds. “I can’t accept this.”

  “Surely your employers don’t begrudge you accepting gifts from grateful relatives?”

  “No but usually they’re boxes of chocolates or flowers, not this. It’s far too much.”

  “You’ve earned it and a bunch of carnations didn’t feel enough of a thank you.”

  “I really shouldn’t.”

  “Come on, you’re not telling me you couldn’t use a little bonus, especially at this time of year?”

  “Well, I’m not going to deny it would come in handy.”

  “There you go then. Go and have a lovely Christmas with your family.”

  “I will, thank you so much. I hope you do too.”

  Mikey just nodded, jaw tight.

  Catherine hesitated at the door. “I’d just like to say that my patients come before everything else, before the money and perks of the job. They are my priority and they always will be.”

  Mikey nodded in acknowledgement of what she was trying to tell him - that she wouldn’t sell out Jules to their enemies for any price. “And I really appreciate that,” he replied.

  “Merry Christmas,” she said before slipping out the door.

  Mikey turned back to Jules, feeling a little more upbeat after talking to Catherine. She always managed to make him feel better, despite the fact that Amber said she only buoyed his optimism so they’d keep paying the hefty fees for Jules’s care, the cynical cow. He, Jackson, Jez and Ryan split the cost of the fees between them, it had felt like the right thing to do. He still hadn’t decided whether he was going to divorce Amber or not. However with Jules in her coma there seemed little point, he didn’t want anyone else. He had women throwing themselves at him all the time but he just wasn’t interested. The one woman he wanted he couldn’t have, so he’d stuck with Amber for the sake of his boys, even though she still got on his tits.

  Now he was alone again he turned his attention back to Jules, raising her hand to his lips and kissing it before cradling it to his cheek.

  “Katia’s wiped out all the competition down south,” he said. “I’m worried now she’s conquered down there she’ll turn her attention up here but we don’t want to rock the boat, everything’s been calm for a while and we don’t want to piss off Toni McVay by starting another war. We haven’t found Jared Slattery either, no one’s seen him. Hopefully it’ll stay that way but I would like to eliminate him, so I know for sure that you and Cara are safe.” He smiled and shook his head. “I wish you could give me some advice. You have a way of telling it straight that no one else does. Anyway, enough of me whinging on. It’s Christmas.” Tears sprang in his eyes and he sighed. “Come on Jules, wake up. Please. I miss you taking the mickey out of me all the time, being loud and obnoxious and embarrassing me in public. Come on, stop taking the piss out of us all, okay? Just wake up. We need you.” He swallowed down the lump in his throat. “I need you.”

  Mikey cleared his throat and looked to the window. The snow was falling heavier, the sky darkening. He had to get home soon before he got stuck here, although Christmas Day spent with Jules - albeit an unconscious Jules - was still pretty appealing. But he wanted to be with his kids so he got to his feet. “Sorry I have to go so soon but the snow’s really coming down. I know you hate snow, you slipped on it a couple of years ago and fell on your arse. It was pretty funny, although you didn’t think so.” The memory came back to him very vividly, the comparison of that angry woman, cheeks ruddy with cold, eyes sparkling, hair all over the place groaning and rubbing her backside a shocking comparison to the still form in the bed and it brought fresh tears to his eyes. “Shit,” he muttered, wiping them away.

  He jumped when a hand touched his. Heart thudding with hope he looked down - to see Cara gazing up at him questioningly. When he looked to Jules he saw she was still the same way, no change and he felt like an idiot.

  “Hey sweetie,” he smiled, picking her up for a cuddle. Ever since he’d been the one to carry her out of The Homestead the two of them had developed a c
lose bond and Cara adored him, which he knew irritated Jackson.

  Jackson stared at him, expression hard. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just had something in my eye.” It was a feeble excuse and he knew Jackson didn’t believe it but he had to say something. “I’ve got to go, I don’t want to get trapped here. You’d better not be long either or you might not be going home tonight.”

  “We’re staying anyway. The staff said we could spend the night, so we could be with Jules on Christmas morning. They heard the weather forecast was supposed to be bad and they didn’t want us missing out on seeing her on Christmas Day.”

  “Oh, that’s nice,” he said, feeling a bit jealous. “So you won’t be at Jez’s for Christmas dinner?”

  “We will, if we can get through the snow.”

  Mikey nodded, putting Cara down so he could get to his feet. “Sorry honey,” he said when she held up her arms to him. “I’ve got to go home but I’ll see you again soon.”

  He kissed the top of her head before holding his hand out to Jackson, who raised an eyebrow.

  “Hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Jackson gave him a curt nod and reluctantly shook his hand. “Yeah,” was all he said.

  Mikey couldn’t blame him for being offhand. He’d be pissed off too if he had to put up with another man being in love with his wife.

  As he left Mikey turned back for one last glance at Jules, praying to see her eyes open, for her to utter a single word, but she remained lifeless. He felt sorry for Jackson, who was trying to encourage Cara to sit beside her mother but she refused, taking the chair instead. The poor bastard was in for a miserable Christmas.

  CHAPTER 43

  Rachel and Ryan were grateful to get home after enjoying Christmas at Rachel’s parents, along with Battler, Bruiser, Daina, Emily, Laila and her new girlfriend Claudia, Dolores and Vince. They’d had a wonderful time but they were exhausted and tomorrow they were heading down to Manchester to spend time with the rest of the family.

  “I ate too much,” groaned Rachel, flopping onto the couch and massaging her abdomen.

  “Please, allow me,” said Ryan, rubbing a hand over her belly.

  “Do you have to keep doing gross things like that?” said Leah with a curl of the lip.

  “Your mother’s in pain,” said Ryan. “I’m trying to make her feel better.”

  “You mean you’re trying to feel her up, as usual.”

  “That’s enough of your cheek young lady,” said Rachel, half-laughing. “It’s late, go and put your pyjamas on.”

  “I’m not a kid, I know when to put my pyjamas on.”

  “Well then you shouldn’t give us cheek. Anyway, I’m going to put mine on, they don’t press on my stomach.”

  “You mean, the ones with the ducks on?” said Ryan, leaning in for a kiss.

  “Oh God, I’m out of here,” said Leah, hurrying for the door. “It’s just too disturbing.”

  “Tell your brothers to put their pyjamas on too,” Rachel called after her.

  They smiled at the sound of Leah relaying her message by yelling at her brothers through the door of the play room followed by the thunder of footsteps as all three of them raced upstairs.

  “Finally we’re alone,” said Ryan, leaning in for a kiss. “For Christ’s sake,” he sighed when the doorbell rang. This was accompanied a moment later by a pounding on the door. “Who the hell is that at this time on Christmas Day?” said Ryan, leaping to his feet, making Rachel wonder how even a massive Christmas dinner failed to slow him down.

  She followed, watching as he studied the monitor at the side of the front door. “It’s Ashley,” he said.

  “Ashley?”

  “Yes and he doesn’t look very happy.”

  “You’d better open up, it’s cold out there.”

  “Or even better, we don’t open up and pretend we’re not in.”

  “I can hear you,” a voice called through the door.

  “You’d better let him in,” said Rachel.

  Tutting, Ryan opened the door and in stomped Ashley, his hair speckled with snow.

  “You’ve really done it now,” he began.

  “Done what?” said Ryan in a bored tone.

  “Instead of spending Christmas Day with my family I’ve spent the majority of it at a crime scene. Four men had the living hell beaten out of them. Three of them are in intensive care. One of them died at the scene.”

  “And this affects us how?” said Ryan impatiently.

  “You don’t even care, do you? You don’t care that you killed someone today.”

  “Killed someone?” said Ryan. “What on earth are you babbling about?”

  “You did that to them. Granted, they weren’t nice people, they were burglars and one was a suspected rapist but you killed one of them and a second one might not even make it.”

  “Look, I’m very sorry if your Christmas dinner went cold but it’s really nothing to do with us,” said Ryan. “Now if you’ll excuse us,” he added attempting to back him out the door.

  But Ashley stood firm. “I said I’d turn a blind eye to your vigilantism if you were subtle but now you’ve gone too far. You’ve committed a murder.”

  “Ashley, we’re not lying,” said Rachel “This really is nothing to do with us.”

  “And how the hell do you expect me to believe that?” he thundered.

  “Because we’ve spent the whole day at my mum and dad’s.”

  “A likely story.”

  “No it’s not and we have nearly a dozen witnesses.”

  “All your own family I suppose?” he sneered.

  “Extended family, yes. Ryan, show him your phone, we took photos, they’re date and time stamped.”

  Ryan took his phone out of his trouser pocket, brought up the photos and held it out to Ashley, who snatched the phone from him, his outrage ebbing away as he looked through them.

  “You could have messed with the times,” he sniffed, handing the phone back to Ryan.

  “For God’s sake,” said Ryan, rolling his eyes. “Then ask everyone who was there.”

  “They’re bound to give you an alibi, they’re your family.”

  “Then how about the new mayor and his wife?” said Rachel challengingly. “They turned up for drinks at about one o’clock I think it was and they didn’t leave until four. You going to call them liars too?”

  “No, probably not but I will be checking your alibi with them.”

  “Good,” said Rachel. “Because then you’ll realise that we’re not liars.”

  “Sorry,” he said, hanging his head, now properly contrite.

  “You should get your facts right before you run around accusing people,” said Ryan. “A detective inspector could get himself into serious trouble for that.”

  “You’re right,” he said, holding up his hands. “But you can see why I jumped to the conclusion that I did?”

  “No,” said Rachel. “We’re not fools and we know what we’re doing. I’m very sorry that person died, the punishment certainly didn’t fit the crime and I hope you catch whoever did it but it wasn’t us.”

  “Yes, I know that now and to be honest, it’s a relief. The last thing I want to do is arrest you both.”

  “We wouldn’t particularly like it either,” said Ryan.

  “Right, well, I’ll be off then. My wife has kept some dinner back for me and she isn’t impressed I got called out today. If you hear anything on the grapevine…”

  “We’ll let you know,” said Rachel.

  “Thank you. Once again, you have my apologies.”

  They both graciously nodded as he finally left, Ryan closing the door behind him and locking it. “How strange.”

  “I know and I don’t like it. Someone else is running round being vigilantes but they’re reckless and they’ve killed someone. They do it again and next time we might not have an alibi. The blowback could hit us.”

  “I agree. We must get to the bottom of this quickly but that
is something to consider another day. After what they’ve done they’ll be lying low, giving us time to do some digging. In the meantime, let’s go to bed. I have plans for you tonight,” he said, pulling her to him.

  “Even though my tummy’s all bloated?”

  “Yes. Brace yourself.”

  “You smooth talker you,” she smiled. “And tomorrow we’re going to Manchester. It’ll be nice to see them all again.”

  “I know. I just wish Jules was going to be part of the celebrations.”

  “She will be next year,” she said, hugging him, well aware of the pain his sister’s coma caused him. “Come on, let me cheer you up. Then, when we get back we can get on with finding whoever attacked those men.”

  As her parents headed upstairs Leah hurried back to her bedroom, worry gripping her after hearing what Ashley had to say. She pulled her mobile phone out of her bag and frantically dialled, relieved when the person on the other end picked up.

  “We’ve got a serious problem,” she whispered into the handset.

  THE END

  Thank you so much for reading Darkness, I do hope you enjoyed it. If you did I have many other books available on Amazon Kindle. The Laws and Maguires will be back.

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