‘I know you’re disappointed in me,’ Jake said, stroking her hair. ‘But the only reason I didn’t tell you about my past was because I was ashamed. I’m not that person now – you know that.’
‘I don’t know what I know any more,’ Leanne said wearily. ‘You need to go home.’
‘Okay, I’ll go,’ Jake relented. ‘But call me as soon as you’re ready to talk. I’ll be waiting.’
Leanne nodded, and then closed her eyes. Leaning over, Jake kissed her softly on the lips before backing out of the room.
31
Leanne was discharged from the hospital a couple of days later, and Jake pushed her down to the car in a wheelchair.
Sitting stiffly in the passenger seat when he joined her after returning the chair, she said, ‘Take me to Chrissie’s.’
‘But I’ve got everything ready for you at home,’ he argued, his disappointment clear in his eyes. ‘And I’ve lined Ben up to take care of the businesses for a couple of weeks so I can spend some time with you. I’ve missed you.’
‘I’m not ready,’ she said. ‘I need a break.’
‘From me?’
‘From everything.’
‘Don’t cut me out,’ Jake pleaded. ‘I love you, and I know you still love me.’
‘Of course I do,’ Leanne replied quietly. ‘But I don’t feel safe going back there just yet.’
‘I won’t leave your side,’ Jake promised. ‘Nobody will get near you.’
‘I can’t face it,’ she said with finality. ‘Anyway, you need to work.’
‘Sod work,’ he said. ‘How about a holiday? We can go wherever you like. As long as it’s somewhere warm,’ he added with a hopeful grin. ‘I don’t do snow.’
‘I don’t need a holiday,’ she murmured. ‘I need some time on my own.’
Jake could tell that she wasn’t going to change her mind, so he flapped his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘Okay, fine, I’ll take you to Chrissie’s. If that’s what you really want.’
She nodded, relieved that he wasn’t going to try and talk her round.
*
Chrissie was only too happy to take Leanne in. She and Ben had recently redecorated her old bedroom for Dylan, but she ordered Ben to move Dylan’s fold-down bed into their room so Leanne could stay.
‘I’ll go back to my place,’ Ben offered. ‘Give you two some space.’
‘You don’t have to do that,’ Leanne said guiltily. ‘If it’s a problem, I can stay on my mum and dad’s sofa.’
‘You’re going nowhere,’ Chrissie said bossily. ‘Ben doesn’t mind – do you, Ben?’
‘Of course not,’ he agreed, giving Leanne a conspiratorial grin as he added, ‘It’ll give me a chance to get some proper sleep without her snoring down my ear.’
Aware that he was teasing, Chrissie gave him a playful shove and sent him upstairs to get the bedroom ready.
‘Are you sure this is okay?’ Leanne asked.
‘Positive,’ Chrissie said, sitting beside her. ‘You need looking after.’
Perched on the armchair facing them, Jake felt like a spare part as he watched the girls share a hug. Leanne’s place was at home with him, but he supposed it was understandable that she’d be nervous after everything that had happened.
Glancing at him, Chrissie sensed that he was struggling and quickly stood up. ‘I’m going to check on Ben,’ she said diplomatically.
Gazing over at Jake when they were alone, Leanne said, ‘I know you’re not happy about this, but I need a bit of time.’
‘I know.’ He sighed. ‘And I don’t blame you. I’m just hoping it won’t be for too long.’
‘Me too,’ she murmured, unable to give him anything better than that. ‘I do still love you,’ she assured him when she saw the look of defeat in his eyes. ‘But it hurts to know you’ve been lying to me.’
‘I haven’t,’ Jake insisted, coming over and squatting down in front of her. Placing his hands on her knees, he said, ‘The only reason I didn’t tell you everything was because I didn’t think the past was important. I probably should have,’ he went on resignedly. ‘And I promise I’ll never keep anything from you again. I know it’s going to take time to regain your trust, so I won’t pester you. But promise me you’ll call me if you need anything.’
Leanne nodded her agreement, and Jake kissed her on the cheek then made his way out into the hall, calling goodbye to Chrissie and Ben before letting himself out.
When, shortly after, Ben also left, Chrissie took a bottle of wine out of the fridge and carried it and a couple of glasses into the living room.
‘Isn’t it a bit early for that?’ Leanne asked. ‘You’ve got to pick Dylan up from nursery in a couple of hours.’
‘Ben’s going to get him and take him to McDonald’s, then back to his place for a bit,’ said Chrissie, passing a glass to her after pouring their drinks. ‘So . . . do you want to talk, or would you rather watch some old films?’
Leanne dipped her gaze and took a sip of wine. It was obvious that Chrissie hadn’t believed her story about getting mugged in the park, but she couldn’t tell her the truth. If she knew what had really happened, Chrissie would pressurize her into calling the police. As upset as she still was with Jake, and as raw as the pain of losing her baby still was, Leanne didn’t want Jake to get into trouble for whatever he’d done to her attackers after sending her home that day, so it was safer to keep her mouth shut.
‘Old films, please,’ she said.
Nodding, Chrissie reached for the TV remote and switched the set on.
*
Feeling a lot more relaxed when Ben called round to drop a very sleepy Dylan off later that evening, Leanne decided to have an early night. She hadn’t slept properly during her time in hospital for fear of Jake’s enemies finding out where she was and coming after her again, so she was absolutely exhausted. Soothed by the sound of Chrissie’s soft voice as her friend read Dylan a bedtime story in the next room, she quickly fell asleep.
32
After a week at Chrissie’s, Leanne was slowly beginning to feel like her old self again. It had been great to spend time with her friend, and she’d enjoyed watching Dylan run around. Under the loving care of his Annie Kiss Kiss – as he still called Chrissie – he’d blossomed into a secure, happy little boy, and it was lovely to see him thriving. Although it did upset her at times when she watched him play with his toy cars, eat the tuna pasta he seemed to want for dinner every day, or even just lie on the sofa watching cartoons, because it was a sharp reminder that she would never get to see her own child do any of those things. Clinging to the knowledge that her injuries hadn’t robbed her of the chance to be a mother in the future, she made a conscious effort to stop thinking about what might have been and, instead, concentrate on working through her issues with Jake.
The day after she’d arrived at Chrissie’s, she’d seen a report on the local news about a blaze at an old warehouse in Liverpool in which three bodies had – so far – been found. She’d been in too much shock that day to take notice of her surroundings, so she couldn’t say for sure that the ruined building they showed, which had still been blazing at the time of filming, was the place where she’d been held prisoner. Surely it would be too much of a coincidence for it to be unrelated?
Jake had denied that he was behind it when she’d confronted him on the phone later that evening, but her instincts told her that he was lying. Ashamed to admit that she’d have been glad if it was her attackers who’d died because they deserved it after killing her baby, she resolved to accept Jake’s word and try not to dwell on it. But it wasn’t so easy to forget that it was his fault it had happened in the first place. And the longer they were apart, the more she began to fear that their relationship might never get back to where it had been before the attack.
That was what she was thinking about as she made herself a cup of coffee shortly after Chrissie had left for work at the beginning of the second week. Tired of going over the same old ground, she
carried her drink into the living room and switched the TV on, hoping to forget her own problems for an hour by watching other people air their dirty laundry on the Jeremy Kyle Show. But Jeremy hadn’t even introduced his first guest before the phone rang, and when Leanne heard her mother’s frantic voice, her own woes evaporated in an instant.
‘Oh, love, thank God you’re there!’ her mum cried. ‘I’ve been trying your mobile all night, but it seems to be switched off. I found Chrissie’s number in an old address book and thought I’d give her a ring to see if she knew where you were.’
‘I lost my phone,’ Leanne lied. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘It’s your dad,’ her mum replied shakily. ‘He’s in intensive care.’
‘What?’ Leanne felt as if she’d been punched in the gut. ‘Why?’
‘He went to the pub last night to meet up with some of his old mates from the ’leccy board,’ her mum explained. ‘And someone jumped him on that wasteland by the canal on his way home. They left him for dead, love. He’s in a terrible state, and they’re not sure if he’s going to make it.’
‘Where are you?’ Leanne asked, slamming the cup down and leaping to her feet. ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can.’
Remembering that she didn’t have money to take a cab or even a bus to the hospital, Leanne rang Jake after speaking with her mother.
‘Where are you?’
‘Longsight,’ he told her, concern coming into his voice when he heard the panic in hers. ‘What’s wrong? Has something happened?’
‘My dad’s in intensive care and I need to go to him, but I’ve got no money,’ she cried, her eyes swimming with tears. ‘Can you pick me up?’
‘Of course I can,’ Jake agreed without hesitation. ‘I’ll be there in ten minutes.’
*
Half an hour later, Leanne jumped out of Jake’s car at the hospital’s main entrance and ran inside, leaving him to go and find a parking space. Making her way up in the lift to the ICU, she grabbed the first nurse she saw.
‘My mum told me that my dad was brought in last night. His name’s Norman Riley.’
‘Come with me,’ the nurse said quietly.
Fearing the worst when she saw sympathy in the woman’s eyes, Leanne’s legs felt like jelly as she followed her to a room at the other end of the small ward.
Her dad was lying in the bed with a tube down his throat and an IV line in one of his tattooed arms. Several sensor pads were stuck to his chest, their wires connecting him to a beeping ECG monitor that was standing beside the bed. Gasping in horror when her gaze came to rest on his battered, swollen face, Leanne covered her mouth with both hands.
‘Oh, love, don’t cry.’ Her mum rose from her seat on the other side of the bed and came round to hold her. ‘They say he can probably still hear us, so we’ve got to try and stay positive.’
‘How could anyone do this to him?’ Leanne whispered, unable to find anything positive to say as she took in his injuries. ‘He was in a wheelchair, for God’s sake. It’s pure evil!’
‘The police think he was probably followed from the pub,’ Brenda murmured, gazing down sadly at her husband. ‘They’re going to try and track his movements from CCTV footage of the area, see if they can spot anything unusual.’
‘I hope they find the bastards and throw away the key,’ Leanne hissed, making an effort to pull herself together.
A small tap came at the door, and Brenda managed a tiny smile when she saw that it was Jake.
‘Oh, hello, love. I didn’t realize you were here. Come in.’
‘Jake drove me over,’ Leanne said, pulling a tissue out of her pocket and blowing her nose. Looking at him now, she said, ‘Thanks so much for getting me here so fast, but you don’t have to stay if you need to get back to work?’
‘I’m not leaving you,’ he said firmly, pulling her into his arms.
Relieved, because she hadn’t wanted him to go, Leanne rested her head on his chest.
‘Do they know who did it?’ Jake asked Brenda.
‘Not yet. But the police are checking CCTV footage, so I’m praying they’ll pick something up from that.’
‘I’ll get my lads to ask around,’ said Jake. ‘I’m sure we’ll find someone who knows something.’
Stiffening at the reminder of his security guards, Leanne muttered, ‘No! I don’t want you getting involved in this. Let the police deal with it.’
‘I won’t do anything you don’t want me to,’ he assured her. ‘But the offer’s there if you change your mind.’
Nodding, Leanne looked at her dad for several long moments before turning to her mum. She looked so sad and lost, it was heartbreaking.
‘How long have you been here?’ she asked.
‘Since about four this morning,’ said Brenda. ‘Some blokes who were going fishing found him, and I got a lift off the coppers who came to tell me.’
‘Why don’t you go home for a bit?’ Leanne suggested. ‘We’ll stay with Dad, and I can ring you if there’s any change.’
‘I’m staying,’ Brenda said flatly. ‘I promised to stand by him for better or worse, and I’m not going to break my vows for the sake of a bit of sleep.’
‘Okay,’ Leanne conceded, all too aware that nothing would change her mum’s mind once it was made up. ‘Have you eaten anything yet?’
‘I’m not hungry.’
‘How about a drink, then?’
‘Fine.’ Brenda sighed. ‘If it makes you feel better, I’ll have a hot chocolate.’
Telling her that she’d be back in a minute, Leanne took Jake’s hand, and they went to look for a drinks machine. As they reached the doors at the end of the ward, two nurses jumped up from behind the desk and ran past them, and Leanne’s stomach flipped with dread when she realized they were heading towards her dad’s room.
‘What’s happening?’ she cried, rushing after them. ‘Is he okay? Mum . . . ?’
Unable to speak, Brenda clutched at Leanne’s arm and pulled her out of the way as one of the nurses pressed a red button on the wall behind the bed, adding a second alarm to the one already sounding from the monitor.
Ushered out of the room when the resus team arrived a few seconds later, Leanne and her mum paced the floor while Jake took a seat; Leanne chewing on her nails, Brenda mouthing silent prayers.
The door was shut, so they couldn’t see what was happening. But after an agonizing ten-minute wait, it finally opened, and one of the nurses walked out.
‘I’m so sorry, Mrs Riley,’ she said. ‘Your husband went into cardiac arrest and we weren’t able to resuscitate him.’
‘Noooo . . .’ Brenda wailed, her face crumpling as she tried to shove the nurse back into the room. ‘You didn’t try hard enough! Go in and try again! You can’t leave him like that!’
The nurse looked at Jake and Leanne and gave the slightest shake of her head.
‘Mum, don’t,’ Leanne sobbed, putting her arms around her mother. ‘There’s nothing they can do.’
As they cried in each other’s arms, Jake wrapped his own arms around them both and nodded to the nurse over the tops of their heads. ‘Thanks, love. We know you did your best.’
*
When they finally left the hospital several hours later, Leanne didn’t want to leave her mum, and Jake didn’t want to leave Leanne, so they cuddled up together on her mum’s sofa after driving back to the bungalow.
Aware that Brenda was going to need help to register the death and arrange the funeral, they got up early the following morning to talk about arrangements. Leanne said that she wanted to stay with her mum at least until they’d got the funeral over with, so Jake agreed to pick her stuff up from Chrissie’s. But as he was about to head over there, Brenda’s sister, Gloria, arrived.
No longer needing them, as Gloria had buried three husbands and knew exactly what to do, Brenda thanked Leanne and Jake for helping her, then insisted that they go home and get some rest.
As they got into the car, Jake asked whether she want
ed him to drop her at Chrissie’s, but she shook her head.
‘I want to go home,’ she said. ‘If that’s okay?’
‘Do you even need to ask?’ he replied, unable to keep the grin off his lips as he started the engine.
When they got to the apartment, Leanne gazed around in amazement. There were vases of flowers on every surface, some in full bloom, while others were beginning to wilt, which told her they’d been there for a while.
‘I got them when you were discharged from hospital,’ Jake told her, explaining why they were past their best. ‘I thought it might cheer you up when you got home, but you decided to go to Chrissie’s, so they were kind of wasted.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Leanne murmured guiltily. ‘I had no idea you’d gone to all this trouble.’
‘Hey, forget it,’ Jake said softly as he pulled her into his arms. ‘You’re home now; that’s all that matters.’
Unable to resist a sudden urge to kiss him as she gazed into his soft brown eyes, Leanne felt the last of her resistance melt away when he locked his lips on to hers and carried her into the bedroom.
After they’d made love, Jake ran a bath for her and told her to relax while he made breakfast. As she soaked in the water, listening to Jake pottering around in the kitchen, Leanne knew that coming home had been the right decision. She’d been blaming Jake for what had happened, but those thugs who had kidnapped her were part of his past, not his present, and it wasn’t fair to judge him as if he still belonged to that world when he’d made the conscious decision to remove himself from it.
He’d been so gentle last night, holding her as she cried for her father, and she loved him all the more for the kindness he’d displayed towards her grieving mum.
And so, it seemed, did her mum, who – unaware of what had happened, because Leanne had decided not to tell her about the baby – had called Leanne into the kitchen before they left and told her that Jake was ‘a keeper’.
She’d been spot on, and Leanne had decided there and then that it was time to stop punishing him for things he’d had no control over.
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