Davey looked at his mother, at her heavy belly, at her face so drawn and white. He saw the thinness of her arms, and the swelling around her ankles. He suddenly realised that she had borne all this discomfort for him too, and for each of his brothers. He felt the love she had for them, and he knew, despite his youth, how much they took her for granted. He also saw the enormity of what having a child really entailed. His mother was stoic and uncomplaining, despite having a living, breathing human being inside her. The miracle of childbirth hit him like a freight train.

He laid his hands once more on her belly, and the child kicked again, a strong kick that made his mother wince, but made his heart soften towards the child inside her.

‘That’s amazing, Mum. That’s a real person in there. You’re growing a real person!’

Lena smiled happily. ‘I’ve grown four of you already. Honestly, Davey, it’s not a chore. I enjoyed every one of my pregnancies. It’s just today I’m feeling more tired than usual. I’m not as young as I was!’

Davey grinned. ‘I tell you what, Mum, shall we have a night in, just the two of us?’

Lena really laughed then. ‘I must look rough, Davey! Honestly, son, I’m fine. You don’t need to baby-sit me.’

‘That’s OK, Mum, I don’t mind staying with you.’

Lena smiled. She was under no illusions that her sons wouldn’t follow their father to becoming hard men, but for now she decided to make the most of any time she had with them. She wished things could have been different, but her Daniel had carved the path for them all, herself included.

She caressed her belly, and she swore to herself that, girl or boy, this little one would never be a part of the world that her husband inhabited and which her sons would one day join. As much as she loved them, she was determined that this child would not be a part of it. Daniel had brought the boys up to be with him; they would be beside him, follow him, and she had never questioned that before. As they approached manhood, though, the reality was beginning to hit home.

Daniel would introduce the boys to, and expect them to be part of, the Life. They would have no choice. But what would their lives be if they were nicked? The thought of her lovely boys locked away for years on end tortured her. Unlike Ria, who was at peace with the paths chosen for her sons, Lena didn’t want it for her boys. She didn’t want them to be villains. Deep down, she hated that she had never had any real say in their lives.