He found a vending machine on the way to the ward and gasping for a drink of any kind he reached into his back pocket for his change. Two pounds fifty for a water; un-bloody-believable. He didn’t have any change. Obviously it was still all over the floor in his house. Cursing, he then spent the next minute desperately trying to slide a five pound note into the feeder which kept spitting it out. Just as he was about to smash his head through the plastic Perspex in a rage and remove the item with his teeth it was accepted and he pressed the button and a bottle of water dropped down. He waited for his change but nothing happened. He then noticed the ‘exact change only’ button was lit. Resisting the urge to growl out loud like an ogre as his fury reached new levels he purchased another water and then staggered off up the corridor.
* * *
They seemed to have put the maternity ward at the furthest recess of the hospital and he was freely sweating when he arrived. ‘Why the hell were these places so hot, surely it just encouraged the germs?’ He stopped outside the entrance door, pressed the buzzer and glugged the entirety of one of the bottles of water, gasping at its coldness, whilst he waited for a response.
As he entered the receptionist smiled at him, ‘Room fourteen Mr Reynolds, hurry along now. You can get your car park refund stamp when you leave.’
He looked at her stunned for a few seconds and then noticed the ‘Free parking for partners’ sign on the wall behind her. He pushed the information out of his mind and raced along the corridor. He checked his watch, seven fifty-five. Not too bad, all things considered.
Arriving at room fourteen he pushed the door open and strode in. As he went round the partition the first sight he saw was the baby being passed to his girlfriend.
Jesus, he had missed it. He went over to the bedside and stared down at his new-born daughter. He looked at Elaine’s sweaty, tired face and squeezed her shoulder.
‘Is everything OK?’
‘She is doing great, she was amazing,’ the midwife answered. ‘Your girl came so fast she almost arrived in the toilet. She got ten out of ten on the APGAR test though and she is absolutely beautiful.’
Thinking back to the NCT classes he had been forced to endure he recalled that was a good thing and couldn’t stop a huge grin splitting his face from ear to ear.
‘I’m sorry honey, they should have called you earlier.’
Will kissed her on the lips and then reached over and kissed his new baby on her soft head. His baby. What an incredible feeling.
He didn’t feel any anger about missing the birth. He saw the stain on his coat sleeve out of the corner of his eye and concluded nothing else mattered anymore. His daughter was here safe and sound and she and Elaine were both healthy. He just felt relieved and enormously happy.
‘Do you want to hold her? I’m gasping for a drink.’
Will smiled at her and eagerly nodded as he passed the extra bottle of water to her.
‘I thought you might be. I got this especially for you.’
45
22nd August 2014
Will checked the text message again. Just three words.
‘Get here now.’
‘Yes, mine said the same thing.’
‘I’ve had enough of this shit Aiden. I’m too old for this bollocks for a start.’
‘I know, I didn’t get to bed until four a.m. Then I get woken up by this demand at ten.’
Will must have been dead to the world as he hadn’t even stirred. In fact the only reason he was here now was because Aiden had let himself into his house and shook him awake. Sam Smith’s gentle tones were playing on the radio but even that was jarring on his nerves so he turned it off. He turned to Aiden who was driving with tired bloodshot eyes.
‘What are we going to do, it’s massively getting out of hand?’
Yesterday had been unusual for a variety of reasons. Darren and Carl had been off their faces before the pub had even opened and had not come down to the bar all day. They had become paranoid and anxious like the drug addicts they were. Both the bar maids had been given the day off to go shopping in London meaning the four of them were supposed to run the place. Therefore Will and Aiden had to work like Trojans to keep on top of things even though it had been a slow day.
The first unusual thing was the visit by the local constabulary. Will always thought Darren must have them in his back pocket as they were conspicuous by their absence. The two guys who came in at three and then again at seven and asked for Darren, were so obviously plain clothes police they might as well have been wearing comedy helmets with flashing lights on them. Will had to give them some pony about not knowing where he was. This didn’t seemed to be too much of an issue at three, but when they both came back at seven and Will told them what Darren wanted them to hear, which was he was away for a few days on business, they were clearly furious.
‘We will be back at Saturday lunchtime,’ one of them had snarled. ‘He will be here if he has any concerns for his wellbeing.’
The other strange thing was how quiet it was. The bar had become a really busy east European hub. They were a rowdy drunken bunch but they were generally respectful and accepting if they got a whack for stepping out of line. Radic and his crew came in frequently, although it was noticeable every time they did that they rarely drank much. The rest were all manner of labourers, workmen, new arrivals and the wilfully unemployed. This attracted all types of bottom feeders and they were constantly moving along prostitutes who had come to ply their trade outside. Will suspected that when Darren was here he let them stay as he seemed to think it was all part of the experience.
This afternoon and evening though the ‘east’ was absent. Almost all of them, as though they knew something was happening and were deliberately staying away. The only one of any note who turned up was Radic, with two of his most threatening ‘mechanics’. Will and Aiden told him the same story about Darren being away on business. He too had been unhappy.
‘Tell your friend Darren I have given him many chances. This one is too much. I will need to meet him face to face on Saturday morning. I’m sure you will let him know’. He had then cryptically added ‘I fear he may be going down. Do you want to go down with him? It’s time to choose Will’. This last comment had made Will’s blood run cold. The English regulars had still been in but they weren’t a late bunch and they had everyone out, the tills cashed up and had done a general tidy up by midnight. What had made them late was the arguing with Darren. This state of affairs couldn’t continue.
By this time Carl and he looked like a pair of wasted ghouls. They were grey faced and sunken eyed. Carl had looked comatose throughout the heated discussion, only volunteering ‘Let’s not fall out’ before sinking back into his seat with only his eyes moving to indicate he was still with them. God only knows how he was keeping his business afloat. Darren had been fidgety as hell, pacing up and down and slamming his hands on the table but not actually volunteering any information. Will had noticed the yellow nicotine stains on his hands as he did so. The old Darren would never have let something so disgusting occur and it made Will even surer that he had lost it.
As they pulled up outside the pub they noticed that the front door was shut and both barmaids and a few of the post office crew were waiting outside. Will got out and opened the door.
‘Why isn’t it open?’
‘You go and ask Tony Montana. I know he is in there cos I could see the bloody curtains move.’
‘Ok Dawn, look you’re in now, I’ll have a word with him.’
‘I’ve just about had enough Will. I’m thinking of going to London. I had a job interview yesterday and I think I’m going to take it.’
Will shook his head. They would be sunk without her organisation. As the patrons came in he noted that yet again there were none of the usual foreigners. Maybe they were like the titanic, a critical breach had occurred and it was only a matter of time before they too sank to the bottom.
Will and Aiden climbed the stairs to the living quarters
and found Darren in the kitchen, pacing again.
‘What’s so urgent then?’ Will asked in a quiet voice as he could see Darren was close to the edge.
As he walked up and down Will could hear him whispering, ‘Think, think.’ All of a sudden he seemed to realise they were there.
‘We have two immediate minor problems and an imminent major one,’ he said, recovering his poise quickly.
Will and Aiden looked at each other. It was Aiden who asked.
‘What are the immediate ones?’
‘The young lovers through there.’ He pointed towards one of the bedrooms.
Will dreaded what he was going to see as he gingerly turned the door handle and pushed the door open. The room was dark but there was an unpleasant combination of familiar smells in the room. One distinct element reminded him of the smell of his old money box, which used to put his teeth on edge when he used to count and recount his savings when he was a child. The other brought back memories of opening a wheelie bin in the summer. He could hear rattling breathing though as he flicked on the light.
What he wasn’t expecting was to find Carl and Kostas laying on Carl’s king sized bed together. It took Will a while to get his head round the sight but as he stepped closer he realised they were both either asleep or unconscious. It was also clear by the amount of blood on Kostas that he had received the mother of all beatings. It was his breathing that was causing the rattling. By the way he was curled into the foetal position he suspected he had at least one broken rib to go with a clearly broken face.
Will turned round to Darren sharply.
‘What the fuck did you do that for? It looks like you’ve nearly killed him.’
‘You prick, I didn’t do it. I got a call this morning but I didn’t answer. They left a voicemail saying go and check your back garden. He was lying across the barbecue. I managed to get him up here but then he passed out.’
‘You didn’t think to ring an ambulance?’
‘I can’t think straight at the moment. That’s why I employ you. I don’t want the police turning up.’ Funny that, Will thought.
‘Did he say who it was?’ Aiden chipped in.
‘He just said ‘Russians’, that was it.’
Carl was further away against the wall behind Kostas’s big back and as Will peered over the prone form he queried Darren.
‘Why did you put him in bed next to Carl?’
‘I didn’t know what to do with him. He was all bloody and I’ve only just changed my sheets.’
Disbelieving his own ears at Darren’s warped thought process, Will suddenly recoiled at the smell as he got closer to Carl.
‘As you can see Carl’s sheets are already a goner.’
Carl had gone to bed in just boxer shorts and a T-shirt but he had clearly soiled himself. A horrid, foul looking substance that reminded him of Pluto’s transgression was pooled between his legs. He was also in the foetal position behind Kostas and Darren was right, they did look like two lovers spooning. Carl also had some black liquid dribbling out of his mouth though and Will was immediately concerned.
‘Look, we have to take them to hospital. Aiden go and run the shower.’
‘What are you going to tell them Will?’
Will wracked his brain for twenty seconds, eyes flickering as he thought of any kind of plausible explanation that wasn’t going to raise too many questions.
‘OK, we tell them Carl has been ill all night and we are worried he has ulcers. We say Kostas fell off a ladder when he was clearing leaves from the guttering.’
‘OK, that makes sense. Give me a hand carrying Kostas to the shower,’ Aiden replied.
‘We aren’t showering him as well you cretin. They might be a little suspicious if he turns up with internal injuries and a face like a squashed watermelon but clean as a fucking whistle. Just clean the shit off Carl and put him in some new clothes and me and you will take him to A and E.’
‘What about Kostas?’ Darren queried.
‘You take him.’
‘Why don’t you take both?’
‘Am I surrounded by imbeciles? They would think we must be having a really bad day if I pulled up outside casualty and dragged two near dead specimens in. You take him Darren.’
Darren didn’t look happy but didn’t say anything else.
Will grabbed Kostas’ legs and Darren grabbed the shoulders of his jacket and they manoeuvred him as gently as they could towards the stairs. Kostas groaned in pain. Half way down Darren said, ‘Shit.’ Will looked up and could see Kostas’s head slipping through the neck of his jacket.
‘Put him down,’ he shouted, but it was too late and he just shut his eyes when the thunk of his heavy head hit the next step. Kostas then began to sob.
When they got outside Darren dropped Kostas on the floor, shouted, ‘Wait,’ and ran back in the pub. He returned with a pleased look on his face and a newspaper in each hand. He strategically spread it out in the boot of his X5 and turned to Will with a big grin.
‘Who’s the genius now, eh?’
Will put his incredulous head in his hands. This couldn’t be real.
As Darren pulled out of the parking space he wound down his window.
‘Pick me up at ten a.m. tomorrow. We have a meet with Radic. We all better go.’
‘I don’t think Kostas will be up to much tomorrow, or Carl for that matter.’
‘Well, maybe not. Carl will be fine. All of you. Here at ten. Don’t worry about coming back today, the girls can handle it.’
‘Is this the imminent major problem?’
‘Yep.’
‘What is it Darren, tell me?’
‘We had a couple of failed deliveries and some missing stock. A lot of people are out of pocket. Don’t worry, I will sort it all tomorrow.’
Darren then roared off, leaving Will open mouthed and mid question in the street.
He went back into the pub and found Aiden pulling some clothes out of Carl’s wardrobe. He looked in the shower and saw Carl standing in the bath under the stream. From behind he looked like a small child, he was so thin and emaciated. Aiden carried him down the stairs like you would a new-born baby, with his hand supporting his neck. As they got in the car Carl seemed to show more signs of functioning but had still not said anything, so Will got in the back with him.
‘You alright Carl? It’s probably best if you go to hospital, or the doctors, get checked out.’
Carl mumbled something indecipherable.
‘What was that mate?’
‘Just take me home,’ he managed to gasp out.
‘You are home?’
‘My parents.’
They pulled up outside Carl’s parents’ house and he shuffled to the door. Aiden and Will sat in the car and watched as it was opened and his mother came out, looked at him for a few seconds, and then pulled him into an embrace. As they reversed off the drive his father came out and stared at them. It was the look you would give someone if you caught them throwing rubbish in your front garden. He felt Aiden jump next to him as the front door was slammed shut.
‘That’s it, I’m done Will. No more.’
‘I know, me too.’
‘I didn’t know whether to say anything but me and Penny have been talking about it for a while and we have decided to move to Cambridge. Her sister is there and she can see how toxic the situation is here.’ He paused and then added, ‘I feel a bit like I’m deserting you.’
‘God, don’t worry about that,’ Will laughed. ‘It’s finally dawned on me that I have a family, one that I’m responsible for. I can’t go to jail, even if it is only for a few months. No more pub and no more Darren, before he drags us all down.’
‘Cool, let me know what he says when you tell him.’
Will laughed again, ‘We’ll tell him tomorrow, together.’
‘Deal.’
As they drove back home Will thought of them dropping Carl off at his house like an errant teenager. Not so funny and more than a little depressi
ng when they were all forty years old.
Will walked into his lounge when he got back and found Elaine tickling his giggling daughter on the carpet. What the fuck was he doing with his life?
46
23rd August 2014
Will put his spoon down next to the uneaten bowl of cereal. His stomach was doing somersaults. He gave Elaine a smile he didn’t feel and went to get his car keys. That cheeky twat Darren had sent him a text with just the words ‘Pick me up’. I’m just a glorified taxi driver, Will thought. Then he changed his mind. No. A taxi driver wouldn’t feel like this. He felt like he did when he was walking into his A-Level Biology exam, woefully unprepared and nervous as hell. There was also the same determination and relief there too. The wanting to see it through and come what may, after today, it would all be over.
The door shuddered with Aiden’s customary pounding so he kissed the girls goodbye.
‘It’s the right decision Will. Don’t worry, we will be fine.’
He was going to ask her to marry him soon. He knew that now, as soon as he extricated himself from Darren’s descent into hell. Talk about something bad to happen to make you focus on what was important. They had discussed his decision to quit last night and she had just said ‘It’s about time’. It must be the right choice as she didn’t even know the half of it. As he lay in bed last night he had wondered what he had been waiting for. He had the right girl and they were blessed with a wonderful daughter. He had so much to be thankful for, so why was he risking everything? He thought of a quote by Fernando Pessoa that Carl used to have in a picture frame in his toilet. ‘In order to understand, I destroyed myself’. He hoped that he had not made the same mistake. He stepped out of the house to a grim-faced Aiden who held out his hand.
‘Let’s do this,’ Will said as they shook.
They stopped at Carl’s parents’ house and did rock paper scissors for who had to go and knock when no-one responded to the car horn. Will lost. He was relieved when it was Carl who answered the door.
Lazy Blood: a powerful page-turning thriller Page 28
