by Jenny Frame
“Please, Dale, just tell the truth. When was the last time?”
Dale shook her head, her anger rising inside. “You want to know? Fine, I’ll tell you, even though it’s stupid. Do you think I’d want to know when you last slept with Trent? I don’t want to even contemplate anyone else touching you. It was the weekend Jake found me, and you sent me off, telling me never to darken your door again. I was messed up. I went on a weekend bender. I slept with two women. The first, I was so drunk I can’t even remember, and the second was a screwball who tried to steal the picture Jake had given me. Is that good enough for you?”
Tears started to fall unrestrained from Becca’s eyes.
“Hey, hey, I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”
“No,” Becca gasped. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
Dale rocked her gently in her arms, trying to soothe Becca’s tears. “Hen, I never even looked at another woman after that, and never went back out to the bar. My mate, Mac, the bar manager has probably put out a missing poster.”
“I’m so sorry, darling. I’ve ruined our first night together.”
“Listen, I knew I wanted you from the start probably. That weekend I just kept staring and staring at the picture and I felt connected to you, like I was missing from the picture. Since then the only woman’s knickers I’ve been trying to get in are yours.”
Becca laughed through her tears.
“See, I can still make you laugh. Now what brought all these thoughts to your head?” She was sure she could feel Becca stiffen.
“Nothing, just hormones, you know.”
Dale remembered when Val was pregnant, the random bouts of crying and Sammy saying the wrong things. It was her turn now.
“Okay, then whenever you feel bad, you just tell me and I’ll make you laugh.”
Becca huddled into her tightly. “Why don’t we go through the baby name book you bought?”
“Yes, I’d love that.” Dale snapped on the light.
Chapter Nineteen
Becca had a week to work out how to handle Ash, or face the media storm that would be coming her way. But as the week went by, Becca could not find a way out of her dilemma. If she told Dale the full story, she would likely try to stop Ash by any means, and the story would be a whole lot worse.
The sick feeling she had in the pit of her stomach when she’d seen Ash just kept getting worse. It took everything in her power not to show how worried she was to Dale. When Dale did question her on why she was being so quiet, she blamed not feeling well. Which wasn’t a lie—her headaches were back, she’d had some dizzy spells, and according to the doctor, her blood pressure was starting to elevate again, and that was on the strong medication.
One thing that helped her hide what was happening was the fact that Dale was keeping herself so busy. Now staying at the vicarage most nights, and part of their family, Dale had given herself free rein to do all the jobs she wanted to on the house. Plus Jake mostly followed Dale around, frightened that she would somehow disappear.
She might after her whole personal life is exposed by Ash.
Her mobile beeped with a text and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the screen. Somehow Ash had managed to get hold of her number. She held her breath as she read the message. Tick, tock. Time is running out. Saturday or I do this myself. Do you remember what it was like to have the press pack circled around your house?
Becca’s memory replayed the scene of finding her mother dead, with half of Britain’s press encamped outside, and the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped started to take over. Her vision narrowed until all she could hear was her thunderous heartbeat in her ears.
She was trapped, she couldn’t breathe, she was going to suffocate. Panic was taking over. Then Becca could hear someone calling her name. “Becca? Babe, take deep breaths.”
Becca’s vision started to clear and she saw Dale kneeling in front of her, cradling her face tenderly.
“Babe? I’m here. Don’t panic, I’ll take care of you.”
“Dale?” Becca latched on to her lover’s neck like a limpet. “I was so scared. So scared.”
Dale squeezed tightly and rubbed her back. She had no idea what brought that on this panic attack, but it was terrifying to find Becca gasping for air, clutching the bedcovers so tightly, her knuckles were turning white, but she had to make this better because this kind of stress wasn’t good for Becca or the baby.
“I’m here, hen. No one or nothing can ever frighten you when I’m here.”
“I love you, Dale. I don’t want you ever to feel pain like Nora gave you again,” Becca said.
Dale pulled back and looked at Becca questioningly. “What do you mean? I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. What brought this on?”
Becca was eerily silent.
“Becca? Tell me. I can’t help it if you don’t tell me.”
“I think my blood pressure is a little high. I feel some of the symptoms coming back, and I had a dream that something badly wrong is going to happen…at the birth.”
Dale kissed the back of Becca’s hand. “Nothing is going to happen. It’s just a stress dream. We’ll get the doctor here to look you over and take it from there, but everything will be fine, babe.”
Surprisingly, Becca didn’t argue about the doctor coming, which worried Dale more than anything else.
Becca grasped Dale’s T-shirt and said in a panicked voice, “Promise me if anything happens to me, you’ll take the children.”
“What? Why are you talking like this? Nothing is going to happen to you.”
Becca’s eyes were deadly serious. “Please, Dale. I just need to know, if the worst happens, Jake and our little girl will be looked after. If I get Trent to draw up the papers, will you sign them?”
Dale couldn’t believe Becca was talking this way, but if it made her feel more settled, then fine.
“Of course I will. I told you I will never turn my back on my family. Now let me call the doctor and we can get you sorted out.”
There was something wrong—deep down Dale could feel something was wrong with Becca. She had been nervy and jumpy. She was sure it wasn’t about their relationship, because if anything she was clinging more to her with each day that passed. Maybe it was just hormones, and baby stuff? I should talk to Val.
* * *
“Checkmate!”
Dale looked all over the chess board for possible moves but could find none. She gave Jake a high five and a huge smile. “Well done, wee man. I knew you’d be great at this game.”
Dale and Jake were playing chess at the kitchen table, while Becca rested upstairs. A few days ago the doctor prescribed bed rest for at least two weeks, as Becca’s blood pressure was so high. Dale couldn’t understand it. She had been doing so well, but the doctor explained that the last few months of pregnancy could be tricky, especially at Becca’s age and with her previous difficult pregnancy.
So Dale never left her side. Sammy and Val were shouldering the burden at McGuire’s Motors and were only too happy to help. Val had come over a few times to visit and brought Mia, much to Jake’s delight. The two children were becoming fast friends, with Mia helping design storyboards for Jake’s games. Dale had remarked that they would all be able to retire early once the kids set up their own computer software company.
Everything was going well, except Becca’s health, but Dale just had to concentrate on getting her past the last couple of months of pregnancy.
“Can we play again?” Jake asked.
“Set them up, wee man.”
As they were rearranging the pieces, Becca walked into the kitchen, carrying her mug from her afternoon cup of tea in one hand and her phone in the other. That was something new and strange about Becca’s behaviour. She wasn’t a woman who was glued to her mobile. In fact she usually forgot it, or couldn’t find it, but this week it had never been out of her hand.
Becca kissed Jake on the head. “Having fun, Pooh Bear?”
“Yes,” Jake said,
“I beat Mum.”
Dale’s heart still skipped a beat every time she heard Jake use that title for her. It was like an honour had been bestowed on her. She was a mum now, and a mum given the task to take care of this little family, and she was ready to do that until her last breath.
“Good boy. If you beat your mum, you’d probably beat me in ten seconds.”
Becca walked over to the sink and Dale said to Jake, “Give me a second to talk to your mummy, will you?”
“Yes, I’ll practice.”
When Jake said he’d learn a game and practice, he went about it in a methodical way. He had his How to Play Chess book, written by a grand master, and his notebook where he wrote down special moves and tips. Dale had great doubts that she would ever win a match again.
She walked up behind Becca, slipped her hands around her waist, and kissed her neck. “I thought you were supposed to be resting.”
Becca leaned back into Dale’s reassuringly solid body. “I’m tired of resting, and I need to put the casserole Sadie gave us in the oven.”
Dale closed her eyes and inhaled Becca’s sweet-scented hair. It smelled warm and loving, and most of all, it smelled like home. “Already done. Sadie put sticky notes on the dishes telling me what temperature and how long to put it in, so you don’t have to lift a finger.”
“I could get used to that,” Becca said, turning around into Dale’s arms.
“You should because I’m going to care for you like you were the finest bone china.”
Becca caressed Dale’s cheek. “I love you, and I want to do what’s best for you too.”
Dale placed a kiss on her nose, then her cheeks, then on her mouth.
“I love you too, and what’s best for me is being by your side. Maybe I should pull out of the race on Saturday. I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”
Dale felt Becca immediately tense up. “No, you can’t do that. You promised Jake you would take him to see you racing with Sammy, and Mia’s going to be there. I’ll be happy to curl up with my book and snooze…a lot.”
Dale sighed. “Maybe I could ask Val to visit with you—”
Becca pulled away from Dale and said sharply, “No, I’m quite capable of staying in for the afternoon on my own. Just keep the plans you’ve made. Take Jake to the racetrack”
Becca started rubbing an area under her lower ribs. She’d been doing that a lot. And why was she was so insistent that Dale and Jake go out? Dale was sure something was up. “Are you sore, babe?”
“Just indigestion. I’ll go and lie down till dinner’s ready.”
Dale kissed her and watched her walk out of the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Becca had left her phone on the kitchen counter, and the screen was lit up with a text message.
She picked it up, already feeling guilty. This was invading Becca’s privacy, but something wasn’t right, and Dale would do anything to keep Becca safe.
When she saw the text sender was Ashley Duval, her stomach churned. No, it can’t be.
Dale didn’t have the PIN to Becca’s phone, but the first few lines were previewed on the lock sceen. It said, Saturday, 2:15. Make sure you’re there.
Dale was going to wring her fucking neck.
Chapter Twenty
Ash set up the camera and made sure it captured them both. She took a seat in front of Becca.
Becca’s insides were churning. Her throat was tight, her head fuzzy and dizzy, and she’d had a horrible pain under her ribs all day. It was like this scene was happening to someone else.
“I’ve waited a long time for this, Vic. So why don’t we get started?”
Becca reached for the bottle of water on the table to try and counteract the nausea she was feeling.
“Okay, we’re recording. I’m here with Victoria Carter, daughter of notorious drug—”
Just then the kitchen door opened and Dale came storming in. “You, get the fuck out of our house.”
Ash stood quickly. “You said she would be out. Is this a set-up?”
“No,” Dale replied. “You had my girlfriend so terrified she had to hide it from me. Well I’m taking control now. Becca is ill, you low-life piece of shit. Get out.”
“I believe this is Vic’s house and she invited me here.”
Becca felt like she was watching the scene through a cloud of smoke, and it was hard to keep up with what was happening.
“I’m not asking, I’m telling.” Dale picked up Ash’s camera and tossed it out the door.
“You fucking idiot. That’s an expensive camera.”
“Is it, aye? Well your bony arse is next. No one threatens or blackmails my family. Out.”
Ash picked up her things and stopped in front of Dale. “You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life. Your name and your family are going to be dragged through the gutter.”
“No,” Becca managed to say. “Not Dale’s family. Please?”
Becca tried to stand up and then she started to shake and tremor uncontrollably. Then everything went black.
* * *
Dale paced up and down the hospital waiting room, feeling like she wanted to claw her insides out.
When Becca had started fitting on the kitchen floor, she was so scared, but then she saw blood on her legs, and the bottom had fallen out of Dale’s world. She immediately called for an ambulance and felt so useless. The woman she loved, and their baby, were bleeding on the floor and there was nothing she could do about it.
As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Becca had been rushed to theatre, and now she had to wait while other people tried to save their lives.
Sammy and Val brought Jake to the hospital after dropping Mia off at her grandma’s, and then all they had to do was wait.
Dale felt Jake at her side. “Mum? Is Mummy going to be all right? You look really worried.”
She had to pull herself together for Jake’s sake. Dale crouched down to his level and gave him a hug. “Mummy will be fine. I’m just frustrated because I want us to see her as soon as possible. Don’t worry.”
Sammy stood up and said, “Why don’t Val and I take Jake for something to eat? He’s got to be hungry.”
Dale appreciated her friend’s suggestion. Jake needed his mind taken off things.
“That would be a great idea.” Dale took out her wallet and gave Jake a twenty pound note. “There’s a gift shop downstairs. Why don’t you go and find something nice to give to Mummy later, huh?”
“Okay, but you’ll come and find me when we can see Mummy?”
Dale gave him a hug and kissed his head. “You know I will. Off you go.”
“We’ll give you an hour, okay?” Val said.
Dale leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
They left and Dale was alone. She sat down and held her face in her hands. She thought about her ma’s rosary beads sitting next to her Bible and wished she had them with her, but instead she sent up a silent prayer.
Ma, please watch over Becca and the baby. I’ve just got them in my life, please don’t let me lose them.
Dale’s prayer was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. She opened her eyes and saw Trent standing there. Brilliant.
“I’m sorry if I’m intruding but the hospital called because I’m still Becca’s emergency contact. I’ll go if you want, but will you just tell me what happened?”
Dale sighed. “You’re not intruding. Come in and sit down.”
“Where’s Jake?”
“My friends have taken him for something to eat,” Dale said.
“What happened?” Trent asked.
Dale scrubbed her hands through her messy hair, in an effort to waken herself up. “Ashley Duval happened.”
“Ashley Duval? I thought I’d heard the last of that bitch. I’ve been trying to keep her away from Becca, ever since she betrayed her with that newspaper story.”
“Apparently she found her through me. Becca had been great, her blood pressure much, m
uch better.”
“Thanks to you,” Trent conceded.
Dale shrugged. “I just tried to help. Anyway, I’d noticed some of her symptoms start to worsen again, and her mood changed. The doctor said she was getting worse again, and ordered complete bed rest, but Becca insisted I take Jake to a race at the car track we had all planned to go to. Becca wanted me out of the house so Ash could come over. I saw messages from Ash on Becca’s phone and worked it out.”
“What was Ash trying to do?”
“She wanted a no-holds-barred, exclusive, on-camera interview in exchange for keeping me and my sordid family history out of the story, plus Jake. Becca was trying to protect us.”
Trent growled. “That fucking bitch. As if she hasn’t done enough, and made enough money out of Becca. I found Becca—or Vic as she then was—the morning her mother killed herself. She was sitting in the middle of the floor, with Ash’s newspaper story all around her. She was a broken woman. If Ash is back, I’m going to file charges for harassment, get a no-contact order, and file for an injunction against the story. I won’t allow that woman to do any more damage.”
It was clear Trent still loved Becca, but strangely Dale was okay with that, because she was confident Becca loved her and had chosen her. But Trent would still try to protect her. The more people who wanted to protect Becca the better, especially a lawyer.
“Thank you, that will be a big help. When I burst in on the interview, Becca collapsed…She was bleeding. They think it’s her blood pressure. I’m not sure what’s happening exactly, but they’ve taken her to theatre, and she’s in a bad way.”
“Jesus.”
“You’re welcome to wait if you want. I know Becca means a lot to you.”
Trent nodded and they sat in silence for a minute or so. “Dale, I’m sorry for the things I said to you before. My anger was misplaced. I was really angry with myself for letting a wonderful, beautiful woman like Becca slip though my fingers, and all because I put my own needs above hers. I should have understood why she wanted a baby after the family trouble she had been through.”
