No Matter What

by Michelle Betham

  ***

  Kenny skidded the bike round corners like some rally cross driver, almost coming off on more than one occasion but his determination to get to where he needed to be was keeping him one step ahead. He hoped he was right and that this was where Terry was headed. He hoped he’d got there in time to stop him from doing anything stupid because he could help him, he could, but not like this. This wasn’t the way to do this.

  And then he heard them. The gun shots. Two solitary gun shots that rang through the night sky like some perverse firework, and that’s when Kenny knew - he knew he was too late.

  He ditched the bike and ran, so fast it made his chest hurt because he didn’t know what he was going to see, he didn’t know how he was going to deal with whatever was going to meet him when he turned that corner, but, as he practically skidded round the bend, almost colliding with the back of Terry’s Mercedes, he was left with no choice but to take in the scene that lay in front of him. And all he could do was sink to his knees with his head in his hands, and cry.

  CHAPTER 27

  “We really should get back to the party,” India sighed, snuggling up against Michael, although she didn’t really want to go anywhere. She wanted to stay right where they were. Sometimes she just needed to be alone with him, and this was one of those times. Maybe it was because of everything that had happened lately, and it was almost definitely because she now knew what she really wanted – she wanted Michael. And she wanted their baby.

  Michael pulled her closer, kissing her quickly. “Another five minutes won’t hurt.” He kissed her again, more slowly this time. “Well, maybe ten, huh?” He smiled at her, just looking into her eyes for a few seconds. “It’s gonna be a good year for us, baby. I can feel it.”

  She smiled back, closing her eyes and giving in to him one more time. “I love you Michael Walsh.”

  “Yeah ... right back at ya, kiddo.”

  ***

  Reece took the ‘phone call, trying not to let his face show any emotion as he slowly put the receiver down after the brief few minutes it had taken to pass on the news. He had to stay calm now, and he had to be strong. More than anything he had to be strong. He also had to find India and Michael, and he had to find them fast, but they didn’t appear to be anywhere inside the house.

  He found Vince, who listened as Reece told him what he’d just heard, his face stoic and expressionless despite the news, because if Vince was good at anything it was staying calm in a situation. And this was a situation that needed calm, even if it wasn’t what you were feeling inside.

  “Try the guest bungalow, down by the pool,” he said, looking past Reece to the garden outside. “There’re lights on in there. And those two have a habit of disappearing like this.”

  Reece pushed a hand through his hair and sighed heavily, still trying to get his head around what he’d just been told.

  “I’ll deal with everything in here, Reece. You’d better go and find them.”

  “Yeah ... thanks, Vince.”

  He was in a daze as he made his way down the garden towards the small bungalow, not really knowing what to say when he got there, his stomach turning over as he remembered Kenny’s voice down the ‘phone; frantic, panicked and desperate. None of it seemed real. It felt as though he’d suddenly been plunged into some surreal nightmare. He was in a situation he couldn’t control here, and it wasn’t what he was used to. He’d never had to deal with anything like this in his life before, and he hoped he’d never have to deal with anything like it ever again.

  Reaching the bungalow he stopped for a second. He couldn’t just go on in there, could he? He still didn’t know what to say, so how the hell was he supposed to do this? He approached the small window by the front door and looked inside, immediately turning away. They were making love. His little girl was in the arms of the man she was going to marry and he had to leave them to it, he couldn’t go barging in there now, and yet, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer either.

  His heart was beating like crazy and he wished with every ounce of his being that he didn’t have to do what he had to do next. Not to his daughter. Not to anyone, but especially not to his daughter, but this was unavoidable so he closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly, not wanting to look inside again but knowing that seeing India with Michael was nothing - nothing compared to what was going to happen next. So, steeling himself, he looked through the window but it was over. Michael was still holding her but India was partially covered by a blanket now, kissing the man she was so obviously in love with and the pain just tore through Reece’s body. She looked so happy. His baby was happy and it was more than he could take, because what he had to do …

  Composing himself, and taking another deep breath, he pushed open the door and tried to smile, not wanting the panic to set in too soon but he knew it would come. It would come all too quickly.

  India smiled at Reece, sitting up and pulling the blanket up over herself a little more, but his look was directed at Michael, who immediately sensed something was wrong.

  “Can I have a word, Michael? Please?”

  “Yeah ... sure.” He stood up, quickly kissing India first. “I won’t be long, baby.”

  Reece had to get him outside. He had to get him outside and away from India, just for a second, because he needed help here. He wasn’t sure he could do this on his own.

  “Reece?” India was on the edge of the sofa now, a confused look on her beautiful face and all Reece wanted to do was make this go away, to protect her like he’d never protected anyone before but he couldn’t. Not this time.

  “I just need a quick word with Michael, sweetheart. We’ll be back in a minute.”

  Michael followed Reece outside, as confused as India was but very much aware that all was not right. Reece’s body language more than conveyed that.

  Reece looked up at the sky for a few seconds, the calm of the clear Californian night a prelude to the chaos that was inevitably set to follow.

  “What is it, Reece? What’s happened?”

  He looked at Michael. This man was going to have to love his daughter like he’d never loved her before. He was going to have to be so strong for her now. Reece really needed him to be strong.

  “I’ve just had a call from Kenny.”

  “Kenny?”

  Reece nodded.

  “Isn’t he here? At the party?” Michael was even more confused now, and Reece’s demeanour was starting to unnerve him. “What’s going on, Reece?”

  “It’s Terry.”

  “What about him?” They both looked over at the sound of India’s voice. She was standing in the open doorway, now fully dressed, Kenny’s jacket covering her shoulders.

  “What about Terry? Reece? What about Terry? What’s happened?” Her voice was full of panic as she looked at him, and Michael reached out to take her hand but she pulled it away, still staring at Reece. “What’s happened to my brother, Reece? Please, you’re scaring me now.”

  Reece knew he had no choice but to tell her, even though he could see the panic in her eyes. Panic he couldn’t avert any longer.

  “We’ve got to get to the hospital, sweetheart. Kenny said we need to get there as fast as we can.”

  “Kenny?”

  More confusion crossed her face and Reece didn’t want to tell her what else Kenny had told him, but he had to. She had to know because she had to be prepared for what she was going to have to deal with.

  “Terry, he ... he’s been shot.”

  “Oh, Jesus!” Michael sighed, reaching out for India’s hand again and this time she took it, looking at him with such fear in her eyes it almost choked him.

  “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No. They’ve got it wrong, that’s wrong, it can’t be Terry, he’s here. He’s here, at the party. Isn’t he, Michael? He’s here.”

  Michael looked at Reece, and they both knew that she was going to need them to be the strongest they’d ever been, and they were going to have to find that strength quickly b
ecause she was sinking fast.

  “Vince is sorting everything out up at the house, but we really need to get to the hospital,” Reece said, to Michael really, because India had almost blanked out, her eyes empty, just staring ahead.

  “It’s not him,” she whispered. “Kenny’s got it wrong.” She looked up at Reece and the look on her face almost broke his heart. “Reece? Tell me Kenny’s got it wrong. Please.”

  Michael squeezed her hand so tight, catching the look of pain that crossed Reece’s face as he spoke.

  “I can’t do that, sweetheart.”

  She looked at Michael, a look that asked the same question, a look that begged him to tell her this wasn’t happening and it tore him apart.

  He kept hold of her hand, pulling the jacket around her as she started to shiver. “We need to get to the hospital, baby, ok? We’ll know more when we get to the hospital.”

  She nodded, almost looking past him into the darkness beyond, and he just hoped that she could get through this. He hoped more than anything that they all could. Because what lay ahead of them - they had no idea.

  ***

  Charley sat staring at the face of the detective in front of her. She wasn’t even sure she was awake, infact, she really wanted to close her eyes, open them again and find out that she was back in Newcastle and that none of this had ever happened.

  “Charley ... can you tell us what happened tonight?”

  The detective’s voice was kind but she could tell that he wanted answers. All she could remember was running towards Terry then two loud cracks piercing the air as she was grabbed from behind and bundled back inside the building. The next thing she knew there were police surrounding the place, the sound of sirens deafening as confusion seemed to emulate from everyone around her, but she couldn’t remember anything concrete. Terry was in a critical condition though. That much she’d been told. And without a shadow of a doubt she knew who’d done that to him.

  “It was Jimmy,” she said, her voice almost robotic as she stared down at her clenched fists on the table in front of her.

  “Did you see him do it, Charley? Did you actually see him do it?”

  The questions were being fired at her constantly and she was tired and confused and frightened but she was trying her best to help them with what little she knew. They had Jimmy Cash in custody, they had him behind bars and for that she was grateful. But she also knew they needed information to keep him there.

  Charley looked up at the dark haired detective. He had a kind face. She hadn’t seen many kind faces lately.

  “I know he did it. I just know he did.”

  The detective sighed, taking a drink of water from the glass beside him. “Ok Charley, listen to me. Tell me everything you know about Jimmy Cash and just why he might have done this to Terry Steven. Just tell us everything you can.”

  And that was all she could do. Tell them everything. Tell them every sordid, miserable detail of her time with Jimmy. And just hope it was enough to keep him out of her life, for good.

  ***

  For most of the journey to the hospital India sat staring out of the window, watching as the world around her carried on, oblivious to everything they were going through. But once they pulled up outside the hospital - where reporters and TV cameras had already gathered - she seemed to find a strength she didn’t know she had, a determination she’d dragged up from somewhere inside, and despite both Michael and Reece’s best efforts, they couldn’t stop her from getting out of the car and running, pushing past everyone who got in her way and just running, along hospital corridors, through every door that led to wherever her brother was lying, running until she finally found Kenny and he had to grab her as she came crashing through the double doors, pulling her into his arms, desperately trying to stop her from running straight into the room where Terry was because he needed to talk to her first. She couldn’t just go on in there. She needed to speak to someone, she needed to know what was happening, she needed to know what was going on and what she was facing here. She couldn’t just go on in there.

  “Where is he, Kenny? Let me see him.”

  “Listen to me, India, wait! Just wait a second, please.”

  She looked at him, stopping the struggle to get out of his grip for a second. “I want to see him, Kenny.”

  “I know you do, I know that, but you can’t just go rushing in there ...”

  “He’s my brother.”

  “You need to speak to the doctor, India.”

  She stared at him. “You tell me. You’ve been here with him so you tell me what’s going on.”

  She turned round as Reece and Michael ran into the room and Kenny let her go, letting Michael take over.

  “It was Jimmy Cash,” Kenny said, watching India’s face. It was almost expressionless.

  “He’d gone to get Charley,” she said, her voice monotone. Then she looked up at Kenny. “Hadn’t he? He’d gone to get Charley.”

  Kenny nodded, and for the first time that night India felt the tears start to stream down her face.

  “Jimmy shot him. Twice,” Kenny went on. “I didn’t see it happen, I wasn’t there, but I found him. And I know it was Jimmy. It had to be. Terry he ... he’s on a life support machine. They don’t know ...” He felt his voice cracking and he had to turn away from India for a second because the look on her face was killing him. “They don’t know if he’s going to make it. That’s why they needed you here as soon as possible.”

  India clung onto Michael, the tears blinding her vision as the shock of it all started to hit home and he had to hold her up as her legs almost buckled underneath her. He looked over at Kenny who indicated the room to their right. The blinds on the window were closed and the door slightly ajar, the nurses station directly opposite.

  “I’ll go and talk to someone,” Reece said quietly, every part of him aching to take India away from this and make it all go away, if only he could do that, because the pain was just too much.

  Michael lifted India’s chin up so she was looking at him, wiping tears from her face that were falling quicker than he could cope with. “Come on, baby. I’ll stay with you, ok? If that’s what you want.”

  She nodded, clinging onto his hand as they followed Kenny into the darkened room where her brother lay still and lifeless in a bed in the centre, various wires and leads hooking him up to the ventilator that was keeping him alive and she had to look away for a second, her hand flying to her mouth as more tears streamed down her face. The only sound was the steady beep of the machine, and as India turned to look at him again, she couldn’t help thinking how peaceful he looked. Like he was asleep, that’s all, like he was just asleep.

  She let go of Michael’s hand and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it, taking Terry’s warm hand in hers, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

  “Hey, you. You’re not supposed to be here, you know that don’t you?”

  “India ...”

  She looked up at Kenny. “Don’t tell me he isn’t going to wake up, Kenny. Don’t tell me that. Don’t.” She turned back to Terry, stroking his dark hair and squeezing his hand. “You can’t leave me, Terry.” Tears fell onto his handsome face as she leaned over him, willing him with all her heart to open his eyes and tell her this was all just a bad dream. “You can’t go. Who’s going to teach this little one in here to play football? Huh?” She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. “Who’s going to do that if you’re not here?”

  Michael couldn’t stand it, he couldn’t stand watching her, it was breaking his heart. He wanted to pull her away and stop her from going through any of this but what could he really do? Let her do whatever she needed to. That’s all he could do.

  He followed Kenny back outside, leaving India alone with her brother.

  Reece was standing by the nurses’ station and as soon as Michael looked at him he shook his head slowly. “She needs to say goodbye,” Reece said.

  “There’s absolutely nothing they can do?” Michael as
ked, knowing it was a pointless question but needing to ask it all the same. For India’s sake.

  “It’s only the ventilator keeping him alive. The doctor’s they ... they wanted to tell her, but I think it’ll be better coming from us.”

  Kenny sat down and put his head in his hands. “I could have stopped this. If only he’d listened to me, I could have stopped this.”

  “None of this is anyone’s fault, Kenny,” Reece said, sitting down next to him. “Terry was always going to do this, no matter what anyone said. You were never going to be able to stop him. He was obviously very determined.”

  Kenny threw his head back, staring at the ceiling. “How is she going to get through this?” He looked at them, all of them thinking exactly the same thing. Whatever they were feeling was nothing compared to what India would go through.

  “She’ll get through it the best way she can,” Reece sighed. “And we’ll just have to make sure we’re there for her.” He looked at Michael. “Do you want to talk to her? I can do it if you want me to.”

  Michael shook his head. “No. I want to do it.” He looked back into Terry’s room. India was still sitting on the bed, stroking her brother’s face and talking to him. “We’ve got to tell her now, haven’t we?”

  Reece nodded. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “I love her, Reece. I love her so much, and if she has to go through hell then I’ll go through it with her. Every step of the way.”

  He walked back into the room and India looked up at him, smiling, turning back to Terry’s still and lifeless body. “Michael’s here, Terry, he’s come to see you too.”

  “India ...”