Songbird

by Josephine Cox

  The meals were delicious.

  Having downed his cool drink, strong coffee and cleared his plate in record time, Grandad patted his full belly. “By! That were good,” he declared. “Just enough, and not too much.”

  Ellen agreed. “I couldn’t eat another thing,” she said, noisily blowing out her cheeks.

  Maddy ate less than the others. “It’s so filling,” she apologized. “Tastiest meal I’ve ever had, but half that portion would have been enough.” She groaned. “I feel as if I’ve eaten a whole cow.”

  Ellen said she was not surprised that Maddy could only manage half. “I bet that poor little baby is feeling all squashed up,” she chuckled, “under that mountain of Lancashire hotpot.”

  None of them had room for a pudding. But they each ordered another drink.

  They enjoyed the banter a while longer, and then the girls decided they must “pay a visit to the lavvie” before they set off again.

  Having got directions from the waitress, they made their way through the next room and down the long hallway; Ellen up front and Maddy waddling in the rear.

  The Ladies Room was a revelation. The deep, wide window was set above a curved seat upholstered in plush red velvet. Each of the toilet cubicles boasted pretty oak shelves carrying dishes of dried and perfumed autumn leaves, and spare toilet rolls clad in pink fabric bags. There were old-fashioned brass knobs on the door, and a sample of embroidery depicting two lines from a Wordsworth poem hanging on the wall.

  “Wow!” Ellen emerged to find Maddy waiting for her. “It’s even nicer than I remember,” she said.

  The two of them were still deep in discussion as they approached the kitchen. “Phew!” Heavy with child and having eaten too heartily, Maddy paused for a breather and remarked on how the heat from the kitchen had made the corridor uncomfortably warm.

  “I expect they leave the door open to let the heat out of the kitchen,” Ellen assumed, while looking anxiously at her friend.

  As they drew nearer to the kitchen, they overheard a conversation between two men – presumably employees. “He got what he deserved,” one commented. “Pity they ever did away with hanging, that’s what I say.”

  “You’re right. If any man needs a rope round his neck, it’s that Steve Drayton and all his kind. Scum of the earth, that’s what they are. But at least that one won’t be walking the streets again till he’s old and gray.”

  “Hmh!” His colleague was not so sure. “I wouldn’t count on him being old and gray,” he snorted. “He’ll probably be out in less than ten years, and that’s no justice at all. A life-sentence should mean life.”

  The conversation brought Maddy and Ellen to a halt. “Oh, Maddy! Did you hear that?” Ellen saw how pale her friend had become. “We can breathe easier now. Did you hear? They’ve put Steve away for life.”

  Maddy felt as though a band of iron had been clamped to her chest, and she could hardly breathe. That man, put away for the rest of his life? She hardly dared let herself believe it.

  “Look there!” Ellen pointed to the nearby windowsill, where a newspaper had been discarded. Its glaring headline straddled the top half of the page:

  KILLER GETS LIFE

  No Mercy For Drayton

  Having settled the bill, Grandad came looking, concerned that the girls had been gone such an age. He found them slowly walking down the corridor, heads bent and immersed in earnest conversation.

  He instantly noticed Maddy’s pallid complexion, and in a minute was at her side. “What’s happened, lass? Have you had a bad turn? What is it?” His kindly old face was wreathed in anxiety.

  Maddy did not hear him. She was still thinking of those glaring headlines and the horrendous thing Steve Drayton had done. Alice was uppermost in her mind, and Jack, and the way she and Ellen had been forced to leave everything and flee for their lives. And even with Drayton put away, the danger would always be there, she thought dully. For as long as she lived, she would never again feel safe.

  Ellen was quick to allay Grandad’s fears. “Maddy felt unwell,” she said, “but she’s feeling better now. All the same, we’d best get her back to the car, eh, Grandad?”

  Maddy forced a smile. “I’m sorry.” She felt sickened to her stomach. The only thought in her head now was to get as far away from here as she could. “It was just a twinge, that’s all,” she assured them. “Nothing to worry about. Oh look, I know we planned to make a day of it, but I need to get home, if that’s all right with you?”

  “O’ course, lass, and don’t you worry. There’ll be plenty of days out that the three – no, four of us – can enjoy together.” Grandad Bob was very excited about the new baby coming. At his time of life, joys of that kind were few and far between.

  Leaving Ellen and Maddy waiting in the foyer, he hurried to the car park to fetch the car. A few minutes later, they were all settled into the Rover and were headed for home.

  While Ellen chatted away to her grandfather, Maddy remained quiet. She felt strange. Yes, she was elated to know that her ex-lover had got his just deserts, and she hoped he would be made to serve out the full length of his sentence. But, like the kitchen-hand said, he should have been hanged for what he did; not least because he had taken the lives of two good people, but also because in his warped, crazy mind he saw her as being the means of his downfall. And there was no doubt in Maddy’s mind that, while there was breath in his body, he would spend every waking minute of his time inside planning his vengeance on her.

  For months now, she had been haunted by images of her fallen friends Jack and Alice, and the monster who had run rampage that night in the alley. Yet somehow, she had coped. She had begun to sleep more soundly; the nightmares had eased, and life had eventually settled into some kind of pattern. Now though, she could not stop trembling. She was hot, then she was cold, and now something was happening that she could not explain. “I need to get out of here,” she said suddenly. Frantic, she scrabbled at the door handle. “Stop – please, stop!”

  Seeing how flushed and ill Maddy looked, Ellen said, “Pull over, Grandad… quick.”

  With traffic front and back, and no obvious lay-bys, it was not an easy thing to do, but he managed it. When they got Maddy out of the car, she stumbled on her feet and looked about to pass out.

  “Easy now, lass.” Grandad slipped his arm round her waist, while Ellen supported her from the other side.

  “Maddy, what is it?” Ellen cried. “Are you in pain?” Like Grandad, she was deeply alarmed.

  Maddy’s first thought was for the baby. Every instinct told her there was something wrong, and though she had a tight, strangling feeling across her chest, she was in no real pain. “I can’t breathe.” It was as though her throat was closing up. “What’s wrong with me?”

  She gulped the fresh air, and then she was talking to herself. “Come on, Maddy, breathe easy. Don’t let him win.” Seeing that headline had been a shock, yes, but this was something else. Something was not right.

  A short, sharp pain almost brought her to her knees. “Oh, God! I think the baby’s coming. I can’t…” As she turned toward them, she felt the darkness envelop her.

  As Maddy slumped forward, Grandad and Ellen caught her in their arms, and half-carried her back to the car, step by gentle step.

  “The Infirmary’s nearest.” Having settled her in the back seat with Ellen holding onto her, Grandad lost no time. Shifting the car into gear, he put his foot down and made for Blackburn Infirmary.

  In the back, Ellen was praying that all would be well. If, as Maddy suspected, the baby was on its way, that could not be good. The poor little thing wasn’t even due for another month.

  On arrival at the Infirmary, Maddy was rushed straight to the maternity ward.

  “The baby is in difficulties.” The consultant was specific. “We have to perform an emergency caesarean.”

  The next three hours were a nightmare for Ellen and Grandad. “I blame myself,” Grandad said as he relentlessly strode up and down.
“Only a madman would take a woman across bumpy lanes in an old bone-shaker when she’s eight months’ pregnant.” Raising his arms in frustration, he ran his two hands through his red hair. “I’ll never forgive myself if anything goes wrong with her and the child.”

  “Don’t blame yourself,” Ellen entreated. “It was nobody’s fault. Maddy is a strong, determined girl. They’ll be fine, you’ll see.” She could not bring herself to tell him the truth – how she and Maddy had escaped London in fear for their lives, and now it was all brought back by what they had seen and heard.

  It was a ghost from the past which had obviously caused Maddy to go into premature labor.

  Certainly, none of this was Grandad’s fault, and Ellen could not let him believe that. Yet he must not know the truth, in case he reacted in a way that would put his life in danger as well as Maddy’s.

  Everything had happened too quickly for Maddy to be afraid. But now, as they wheeled her to the operating room, the fear was like a tangible thing. Though it was not for herself, because as things were now, if there was no baby, there would be little reason to live. “The baby… will it be all right?” she mumbled. Already the pre-med was beginning to take effect. “Please… Don’t let my baby die.”

  As the anesthetic took hold and her senses fell away, she heard the doctor assuring her, “Relax now. We haven’t lost one yet.”

  Having been informed of the situation, Ellen and Grandad were directed to the small waiting room beside the maternity ward, where they waited nervously.

  After what seemed a lifetime, the doors swung open and the doctor arrived to tell them the news.

  “Just to let you know, Mother will be fine. As for the baby, he’s in an incubator; it’s too early to say whether there will be any long-term problems. We just need to keep a wary eye on him.”

  “So, it’s a little lad then, is it?” Grandad asked shakily.

  “Six pounds four ounces,” the doctor informed them cheerily. “And look, try not to worry. He managed to fight his way into this world, so now, all we can do is hope he can overcome anything untoward. He’s a strong little fella, don’t forget that.”

  Ellen had a question. “Does Maddy know about the baby being in an incubator?”

  “Not yet. She will be told though, as soon as she wakes.”

  “So, she doesn’t even know that she has a son?”

  “No.”

  “When can we see her?”

  “Soon.” The doctor was noncommittal. “Give it a few hours, then we’ll see.” He urged them to go home and come back later. “You might want to bring her toiletries and such?” he suggested.

  “There’ll be time enough for all that.” Grandad was adamant. “But for now, it might be better if we’re here when she wakes. If that’s all right?”

  “Of course. In that case, I’ll see if we can rustle you up a cup of tea. Try not to worry too much,” he repeated. “The incubator is merely a precaution, but you must understand, we do need to be prepared for all eventualities.”

  With that sobering remark he went on his way, leaving Elllen and her grandfather to reflect on all that had occurred.

  A short time later, they were brought a tray of piping hot tea and a plate of biscuits. “You ought to consider yourselves lucky.” In her early twenties and dressed in a kitchen pinny and floppy net-hat, the nursing auxiliary had a distinctive Scottish accent. “Not everybody gets tea brought to them. Still, I’m told you’ve been here a long time, and things haven’t gone too well.” She regretted saying that, so, attempting to rectify her gaffe, she declared brightly, “But you know, things are never as bad as they might seem.”

  Placing the tray on the side table, she went on, “Nobody told me if you needed sugar or milk, so I’ve brought both.”

  She left with a sound piece of advice in Ellen’s ear. “I’ve known babies be put in an incubator, and in a matter of days they’re right as rain, and back with their mammy.”

  While Grandad poured the tea, Ellen fretted. “I can’t bear to think how Maddy would take it, if her baby was damaged in some way.”

  That would be a blow too far, she thought. Even for Maddy.

  It was growing dark when a nurse came to fetch them. “Mrs. Delaney is awake. You can go in now, but try not to stay too long. She’s very tired.”

  Looking pale and gaunt, Maddy’s face lit up when she saw her friends coming toward her bed, and when they each gave her a hug, the bittersweet tears ran down her face. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me,” she said, “but they won’t let me see my baby. They say the doctor will be round soon. What’s wrong? Why won’t they let me see my baby?” She began to sob.

  “Ssh!” Seeing how distressed she was, Ellen feared for her well-being. “Have they told you anything yet?” she inquired.

  “Nothing.” Maddy shook her head forlornly. “The orderly said there would be someone along to talk to me, but I haven’t seen anyone yet. Oh Ellen, what’s happened? Is my baby all right? Is it… oh, please, Ellen, you have to tell me!”

  Ellen relayed as much as she had been told. “Firstly, the baby was having problems, so they had to do a caesarean.” She gave Maddy another hug. “Oh, Maddy! You have a son – six pounds four ounces. A fine boy – what do you think of that, eh?”

  Maddy’s heart leaped with joy, but then she cried, “But where is he? Why haven’t they brought him to me?”

  Ellen allayed her fears. “Don’t be afraid, Maddy. He’s being well looked after. They had to put him in an incubator – as a precaution, that’s what they said. Just because he was a little bit early.”

  Maddy was fearful. “Tell me everything you know.”

  She listened intently while Ellen repeated what the doctor had said. “The doctor assured us it was necessary to monitor him, simply because he came along a little early, that’s all.”

  Grandad confirmed Ellen’s explanation. “The doctor said he was a strong little fella to have fought his way into the world,” he told her “All we can do now is wait for him to prove that he’s made of the same stuff as his mammy – strong as they come.” He held Maddy for a long, emotional moment. “Will him to come through for us. Can you do that, lass?”

  And that was exactly what Maddy did. When later, the nurse wheeled her away to see that small measure of life, she reached down and touched the tiny fingers, and with all her heart she prayed to the Lord that her baby would survive.

  “You’re some kind of a miracle,” she whispered to her newborn child. “The two of us have been rejected, chased and hounded – and look, here we are now, you and me together.” She gazed on that small face and was filled with such love it hurt.

  “I shall call you Michael Robert Delaney,” she told him. “Michael after your grandfather who died, and also after the Archangel Michael, who protects us all – and Robert after Ellen’s Grandad Bob, who rescued us and saved our lives.”

  She bent and kissed his hand. “I’ll always be here for you,” she whispered. “You’re my special little gift, and you will never truly know how much I love you.”

  She gave thanks for being blessed in so many ways; she had such wonderful friends, and now a son. And though she was still fearful for her child, in her heart she had the warmest feeling that the Lord had heard her prayers, and that in His wisdom He would help her.

  On the way home to Blackpool, to collect nightclothes and toiletries for Maddy, Ellen told her grandad how moved she had been by his kind words to Maddy. “You took us in when we needed a friend,” she murmured, “and we love you for that, and for being the warm, caring person you are.”

  “And why wouldn’t I take you in?” he demanded. “You’re both lovely lasses.” He paused meaningfully. “Being there when you’re needed – that’s what families are for.”

  There was a brief silence between them, before he gave her a sideways glance. “I’m not an old fool though.”

  Ellen was taken aback. “What makes you say that?”

  “Happen it’s because I know you
’re running from something,” he confided quietly. “But I won’t pry, you know that. All I will say is this: just remember, I’m here for you and Maddy, if you need to talk. A trouble shared is a trouble halved, isn’t that what they say?”

  He looked away, and concentrated his attention on the road ahead; while Ellen quietly came to terms with the stark realization that he had known all along how she and Maddy had fled London, looking for sanctuary. And, yet again, she had been made to recognize what a wily and wonderful old fox her grandfather was.

  Fourteen

  Raymond was delighted. “It’s taken a long time – a good four months – and a lot of work and worry, but look at you now, he told Alice as they strolled round the Cambridgeshire village where Raymond had rented a house for her to recuperate in. With their savings, and the wages he got from pulling pints in the Wagon and Horses pub four nights a week, things were going pretty well. He observed how confident she was, and how sprightly, as she walked alongside him. “You’ve mended well, my darling. It’s so good to see you back to your old self again.”

  He took hold of her hand and squeezed it fondly. “Maybe now, you can start thinking about… well, you know?”

  Alice knew exactly what he meant, because hadn’t he inundated her with his idea for weeks now “About getting wed, you mean?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

  “That’s it.” Relieved, he pursued it, “So, what do you reckon?”

  Alice took a moment to answer. “Well, I don’t think we need to rush. I’ve agreed to be your wife and we will get wed. But not just yet.”

  “When, then?” He had to know. “A month, a year… give me an idea, that’s all I’m asking.”

  “Don’t push me, Ray,” she entreated. “I’ve got too many other things on my mind to be planning a wedding.”

  Realizing what she was referring to, he said, “Aw, Alice, I’m sorry. I know how upset you’ve been, about deceiving Maddy. But, you know what I think? Even with Drayton under lock and key, the danger is still there.”