BooksBarbecue
Back All For You
Chapters (109)
  1. Cover
  2. READERS ARE GIVING ALL FOR YOU FIVE STARS!
  3. Also by Louise Jensen
  4. About the Author
  5. Note to Readers
  6. Prologue
  7. Part One
  8. Chapter One
  9. Chapter Two
  10. Chapter Three
  11. Chapter Four
  12. Chapter Five
  13. Chapter Six
  14. Chapter Seven
  15. Chapter Eight
  16. Chapter Nine
  17. Chapter Ten
  18. Chapter Eleven
  19. Chapter Twelve
  20. Chapter Thirteen
  21. Chapter Fourteen
  22. Chapter Fifteen
  23. Chapter Sixteen
  24. Chapter Seventeen
  25. Chapter Eighteen
  26. Chapter Nineteen
  27. Chapter Twenty
  28. Chapter Twenty-One
  29. Chapter Twenty-Two
  30. Chapter Twenty-Three
  31. Chapter Twenty-Four
  32. Chapter Twenty-Five
  33. Chapter Twenty-Six
  34. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  35. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  36. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  37. Chapter Thirty
  38. Chapter Thirty-One
  39. Chapter Thirty-Two
  40. Chapter Thirty-Three
  41. Chapter Thirty-Four
  42. Chapter Thirty-Five
  43. Chapter Thirty-Six
  44. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  45. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  46. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Part Two
  49. Chapter Forty-One
  50. Chapter Forty-Two
  51. Chapter Forty-Three
  52. Chapter Forty-Four
  53. Chapter Forty-Five
  54. Chapter Forty-Six
  55. Chapter Forty-Seven
  56. Chapter Forty-Eight
  57. Chapter Forty-Nine
  58. Chapter Fifty
  59. Chapter Fifty-One
  60. Chapter Fifty-Two
  61. Chapter Fifty-Three
  62. Chapter Fifty-Four
  63. Chapter Fifty-Five
  64. Chapter Fifty-Six
  65. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  66. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  67. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  68. Chapter Sixty
  69. Chapter Sixty-One
  70. Chapter Sixty-Two
  71. Chapter Sixty-Three
  72. Chapter Sixty-Four
  73. Chapter Sixty-Five
  74. Chapter Sixty-Six
  75. Chapter Sixty-Seven
  76. Chapter Sixty-Eight
  77. Chapter Sixty-Nine
  78. Chapter Seventy
  79. Chapter Seventy-One
  80. Chapter Seventy-Two
  81. Chapter Seventy-Three
  82. Chapter Seventy-Four
  83. Chapter Seventy-Five
  84. Chapter Seventy-Six
  85. Chapter Seventy-Seven
  86. Chapter Seventy-Eight
  87. Chapter Seventy-Nine
  88. Chapter Eighty
  89. Chapter Eighty-One
  90. Chapter Eighty-Twos
  91. Chapter Eighty-Three
  92. Chapter Eighty-Four
  93. Chapter Eighty-Five
  94. Chapter Eighty-Six
  95. Chapter Eighty-Seven
  96. Chapter Eighty-Eight
  97. Chapter Eighty-Nine
  98. Chapter Ninety
  99. Chapter Ninety-One
  100. Part Three
  101. Chapter Ninety-Two
  102. Chapter Ninety-Three
  103. Chapter Ninety-Four
  104. The Following Letter Contains Spoilers
  105. Acknowledgements
  106. Book Club Questions
  107. Extract
  108. Chapter One
  109. About the Publisher

Connor has gone.

Part One

Chapter One

Lucy

Thirteen days before Connor is taken

It’s there again. The car. Small and white and out of place. Parked under one of the beech trees that guard our street, lending us a sense of safety.

Who are they?

This is a family area. Most of our neighbours have four-by-fours, double garages with space on their neat blocked paved driveways for visitors’ vehicles. Nobody parks on the street.

‘Why are they just sitting there?’ I ask Aidan as he pulls out onto the road. ‘It’s the third time this week.’ Again, the car is parked far enough away that I can’t identify the shadowy figure inside, but near enough for the driver to be able to see our house and I do have a sense that it is my home they are interested in.

My family.

I shield my eyes against the bright rays of sunlight that slant through the windscreen.

‘Don’t you think it’s odd?’

‘Don’t we have more important things to worry about?’ Aidan asks wearily. I bite back my retort as I take in his grey face, the way his fingers are clutching the steering wheel. He’s right to be worried. We both are. There’s a lot riding on today.

‘Are you okay?’ I twist around in my seat.

‘Yeah.’ Kieron flashes me a tired smile. He’s so used to hospital visits they don’t faze him in the slightest, although I’ve made him aware this one is different. I’ve explained to him what I’m going to ask for during our appointment and he nodded. He’s been expecting it.

We all have.

Aidan drives too fast.

Our journey across town is peppered with awkward silences that I try to fill with conversation, choosing my words carefully. I’m conscious that I don’t want to glare a spotlight on the things Kieron is missing out on. He’d only been discharged from hospital a few days ago after a particularly nasty infection and he’ll be absent for the start of the academic year tomorrow.

‘Do you think my new form teacher will send me homework too?’ School is on his mind as well.

‘I expect so; they don’t want you falling behind.’ It’s not only his education that concerns me, he’s missed periods before because of the frequent bacterial infections that accompany his disease, but the social aspect he is sometimes excluded from saddens me. He can’t always play out with his friends. He hasn’t always the energy for his swimming club. Aidan and I try not to treat him any different to Connor, but the truth is, he is different to his brother. Set apart from other thirteen-year-olds.