Chapters (48)
- Cover
- THEFEUD
- Dedication
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- PROLOGUE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
She had used Patrick’s phone to call her parents, who had been brilliant. Stanley had taken the hysterical Frankie home with him, while Joyce had stayed with Jessica and Joey at the hospital all night.
Eddie had turned up at the hospital late the previous night, but Jess had immediately sent him packing. ‘Get away from me and my children,’ she screamed.
‘Please, Jess, let me see Joey. I’ll make it up to him, I’ll make it up to you and Frankie as well. Nothing like this will ever happen again, I promise,’ Ed pleaded.
Jessica was having none of it. She had seen a side to her husband over the last couple of days that she’d never seen before. A nasty, vicious, drunken side, and she would never forgive him for what he had done to Joey. ‘Just go, Ed. If you don’t I shall scream blue murder and tell the nurses and doctors what really happened,’ she told him.
With tears in his eyes, Ed walked away. Jess knew he felt terribly guilty – she could see it in his eyes – but she could never excuse what he had done.
She had told them in casualty that Joey had fallen off a swing. She could hardly tell them the truth, could she? Their faces would be a picture if she told them her husband had forced their six-year-old son to participate in a boxing match. She’d have social services knocking on her door if the doctors found out the truth..
‘Hello, Mummy. Are we going home now? I want to play with Milky the Cow.’ Joey said chirpily.
Jessica scooped her son into her arms. ‘We’re going to stay with Nanny and Grandad for a few days,’ she told him.
Joey looked perplexed. ‘But I haven’t got any toys at Nanny and Grandad’s house. Can’t we go to our house, Mummy?’
Jessica stroked his thick blond hair. The innocence of his eyes tugged at her heart strings and she felt a tear run down her cheek. ‘Frankie’s round at Grandad’s. You want to see your sister, don’t you? And what about the pigeons? Grandad will take you out and you can help him fly them.’
Joey could tell that his mum was upset, but he wasn’t sure why. ‘OK,’ he said, smiling.
‘Hello, darling, how’s Nanny’s little soldier?’Joyce said, as Jessica walked towards her with Joey in her arms.
‘I’m hungry, Nan. Can I have some chips?’
Joyce kissed Joey on the forehead. ‘As soon as we get home, Nanny will cook you whatever you want.’
* * *