The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (58 page)

  
‘I bet they’re Jess’s
then.’

  
‘No, they’re only Jon’s.’

  
‘Why?’

  
Jane sighed. ‘Because Jon
had a different mummy to you.’

  
Katie’s eyes opened wide
and she grinned at the joke. ‘Don’t be silly, you’re Jon’s mummy.’

  
‘No, darling, I’m not his
real mummy,’ Jane replied patiently, thinking that Ed was never around when
things like this needed explaining properly.

  
‘Well is Daddy Jon’s real
daddy?’

  
Sammy gasped and looked
away.

  
Jane hoped Helen hadn’t
heard the gasp. Out of the mouths of babes, she thought. She swallowed hard and
lied. ‘Yes, darling, daddy is Jon’s real daddy.’

  
‘So, if
you’re
not
his mummy, who
is
his mummy?’ Katie persisted.

  
‘Her name was Angie. She
died when Jon was a little boy.’

  
Katie raised her
eyebrows, and Jane could see the cogs whirring.
 

  
‘So - does that mean Daddy
had a different wife before you?’

  
‘Yes, Katie, it does. Now
stop asking questions, please. Go and watch out of the window for Nick and
Jess, they’ll be here soon. Actually, they’re leaving it a bit late, aren’t
they?’ Jane turned to Sammy, desperately trying to change the subject.

  
But Katie wasn’t
satisfied. ‘So, who is Jess’s mummy?’

  
‘Me, darling,’ Jane
replied patiently.

  
Narrowing her eyes, Katie
nodded knowingly. She folded her arms across her chest. ‘So - that means Daddy
twinkled his naughty bits at Angie to get Jon and then twinkled his naughty
bits at you to get Jess. That’s really rude! Doesn’t he know that you’re only
supposed to do it with one lady?’

  
Jane tried hard to hide
her amusement. ‘Katie, that’s quite enough. I promise that Daddy will explain
properly about Jon’s mummy to you another time.’

  
Sammy and Helen were
struggling to keep their faces straight at this mother and daughter exchange.
Car tyres crunching on the gravel created a diversion. Katie ran to the window
and Jane breathed a sigh of relief.

  
‘It’s Jon,’ Katie
announced. ‘He’s got the take-away, Helen.’

  
‘I wonder where they
are.’ Jane looked at her watch, it was ten to eight and there was still no sign
of Nick and Jess.

  
‘Jon, you’ve got a
different mummy, but she’s dead!’ Katie greeted him as he walked into the room.

  
Jon raised an enquiring
eyebrow in Jane’s direction.
 

  
‘She heard us talking
about your grandfather and thought we meant my dad. You can guess the rest,
can’t you? Be prepared for a barrage of questions,’ Jane warned. ‘Get her to
bed as soon as you can or you’ll find yourselves talking about twinkles and
men’s naughty bits all night.’

  
‘Is she still on about
that?’ Jon laughed and swung Katie up into his arms. ‘Bed for you, young lady,
you too, Dom, come on.’

  
‘I want to wait up for
Nick and Jess,’ Katie protested.

  
‘Bed - now,’ Jane said.
‘As soon as Nick and Jess arrive we’ll be leaving. We’re already very late for
our reservation as it is.’

  
‘I thought you’d be gone
by now,’ Jon agreed.

  
At eight Jane called Nick
and Jess’s flat to make sure they hadn’t been delayed, but there was no reply.

  
‘If they were going to be
late, surely they would have called,’ Sammy said, frowning.

  
‘I wonder if the car’s
broken down somewhere,’ Jane mused, replacing the receiver.

  
‘Surely not, it’s brand
new. Anyway, they would have called from a phone box to let us know.’

  
Jon came back downstairs
after settling Katie and Dominic. ‘Do you mind if me and Helen go through to
the kitchen to eat?’ he asked.

  
‘Go ahead, don’t let us
spoil your meal,’ Jane replied. ‘Would you like another G&T, Sam?’

  
‘Please, just a small
one.’

  
The phone rang just
before nine and Jane sprang up to answer it. It was Eddie. She told him that
she and Sammy were waiting for Nick and Jess to pick them up but that the pair
was very late. She also told him about Jon’s grandfather’s death and the coming
funeral. She held the phone away from her ear as Eddie exploded, and grinned at
Sammy.

  
‘What did I tell you?’
she mouthed. ‘Have you quite finished, darling? He’s not really that keen on
going. He feels he should because they expect it of him. Okay, well you can
discuss it with him over the weekend. I think Nick and Jess are here; I can
hear crunching gravel. I love you too, Ed. Call me about
midnight
. How’s your other half, by the
way? Oh dear, is he? Well, I’ll talk to you later.’ She hung up and looked at
Sammy who was staring out of the window, her face white as a sheet in spite of
her carefully applied make-up.

  
‘Sam, what is it?’ She
hurried across the room to stand beside her.

  
Sammy silently pointed to
the car that had pulled up on the drive.

  
‘Police!’ Jane felt the
hairs on her neck prickling. ‘Oh my God! Something must have happened to Nick
and Jess.’ She flew to the front door before the two officers had a chance to
ring the bell. ‘What is it, what’s happened?’

  
‘Mrs Mellor? Can we come
inside please?’ The taller of the two spoke.

  
‘Yes. Yes, of course.’
Jane’s legs felt all wobbly as she led the officers into the lounge.

  
‘Mrs Cantello?’ The other
officer spoke to Sammy who nodded.

  
‘Sit down, ladies,
please.’ He spoke kindly to them as they dropped side by side on the sofa.

  
Jon appeared in the
doorway followed by Helen. ‘Mum, what’s happened?’ He laid a hand on Jane’s
shoulder. ‘What is it, officer?’

  
‘I’m afraid we’ve some
bad news. Nicholas and Jessica have been involved in a road traffic accident.
They’ve been taken to Pickford General. We’ll take you both there right away.’

  
‘Are they okay?’ Jane
asked, feeling her cheeks draining.

  
‘It’s hard to say at this
stage, Mrs Mellor. Jessica was talking to us; she was able to give us her name
and address and told us we’d find Nicholas’s mum here as well. I’m afraid he
was unconscious at the time.’

  
Sammy gasped in horror.
‘No! Oh no, please tell me he’s okay.’

  
‘They’re both alive,
that’s the important thing,’ the officer replied kindly.

  
‘Let me just ring the
hotel before we leave. Both their fathers are in
London
,’ Jane explained. She ran to the
phone, dialled the hotel number and was put through to Eddie’s room. He
answered immediately.
                         

  
‘
Jane, calm down, love. What is it? -
 
Oh God, no! Right, we’re on our way home. Be
with you as soon as we can.’

  
‘Please drive carefully,
Ed. We’ll meet you at the hospital.’ Jane replaced the receiver as Sammy
gripped her hand. ‘They’re on their way.’
               

***

Eddie rushed out into the corridor and banged on
Roy
’s door.
Roy
opened it a crack and peered out,
bleary eyed and unshaven.

  
‘I told you, Ed, I don’t
want to go out. I can’t face it.’

  
‘Get ready,’ Eddie
ordered. ‘We’re going home. Nick and Jess have been in a car crash. Move
yourself, Roy.’

  
Roy
held onto the doorframe, staring
blankly at Eddie who shook him gently by the arm.

  
‘
Roy
, come on, the girls need us. Get
your stuff packed. I’ll give you five minutes.’

  
He hurried back into his
own room and threw everything haphazardly into his case. What next? One minute
he was looking forward to a quiet meal and an early night. Now, he had this
nightmare dash up the motorway and had to try and keep his wits about him. He
knew
Roy
wouldn’t be able to share the
driving. He’d been drinking constantly since they arrived and today had been no
exception. He’d drunk his mini-bar dry before seven tonight.
   

  
Leading
Roy
by the arm, Eddie steered him to
the hotel reception area and checked out.

He threw their bags into the car boot, helped
Roy
into the passenger seat and
fastened his seatbelt. He clambered in himself and lit two cigarettes. Putting
one between
Roy
’s lips, he started up the engine and began the longest car
journey of their lives.

***

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

‘Come with me, ladies, we’ve a room free. I’ll organise some tea
for you.’

 
 
Sammy and Jane followed the young nurse down a
narrow corridor and into a small but pleasant room. It was simply furnished
with two comfortable chairs and a low coffee table piled high with magazines
and newspapers. The nurse switched on a lamp, closed the sash window and drew
the faded cotton curtains. ‘I’ll be back in two ticks.’
    

  
‘Can we see Nick and
Jess?’ Jane asked tearfully, helping Sammy onto a chair.

  
‘Not just yet. Jess is in
theatre and the doctor is with Nick. Someone will be with you very shortly to
explain what’s happening. I’ll go and get the tea.’

  
She came back with a
tray, closely followed by a white-faced Jon and Jason.

  
‘Helen’s staying with the
kids and I tracked down Jason at Jules’ house,’ Jon said.

  
‘Any news, Mum?’ Jason
put his arms around Sammy’s shoulders.

  
She shook her head and
related what the young nurse had said. ‘We’re waiting for someone to come and
tell us how they are. At least they’re both alive, thank God. The policemen who
brought us here said Nick had to be cut free from the car. It was wrapped
around a tree.’

  
‘Jesus Christ!’ Jason
exclaimed. ‘Our Nick’s a really careful driver. I know that car was fast, but
he could handle it. Does Dad know about the accident?’

  
‘Dad and Roy are on their
way home,’ Jon told him. ‘When I spoke to the officers before they brought Mum
and Sammy here they told me that a car had overtaken Nick and Jess on a bend,
then swerved back in front of them to avoid hitting a lorry coming the opposite
way. Nick must have slammed on his brakes, lost control, hit the tree and the
other car drove off.’
    

  
Another two hours passed
slowly before a serious looking, white-coated doctor entered the room.

  
‘Mrs Mellor?’ He
addressed Jane. ‘Jessica is stable and comfortable. She has a fracture to the
right wrist, a broken right ankle, which we’ve pinned, and a few cuts and
bruises, but she
will
be okay. You can see her now.’

  
Jane stood up, tears
coursing down her cheeks.

  
‘What about Nick,
Doctor?’ Sammy asked.
 

  
‘I’m afraid it’s too soon
to say. He’s still unconscious. He has several fractured ribs, a punctured lung
and a broken ankle, but his other limbs are intact. It’s his head injuries
we’re very concerned about. He’s being transferred to ICU as we speak, Mrs
Cantello. I’ll arrange for you to be taken up there right away.’

  
Sammy looked up as the
young nurse who’d brought the tea re-entered the room.

  
‘Nurse Hammond will
escort you and I’ll speak with you both later,’ the doctor said.

  
Nurse Hammond smiled
sympathetically as Jason put his arm around his mother and helped her to her
feet. ‘I’ll take Mrs Mellor to Jessica and then we’ll continue up to ICU to see
how Nicholas is doing.’

***

Jess was sleeping peacefully but her lovely face bore the brunt of
being thrown against the windscreen. There was a deep cut above her right eye,
her chin had been stitched in several places, her nose was swollen and the
start of two black eyes was apparent.

  
Jane bent over the bed
and gently stroked her daughter’s face. She turned to Jon who held her tightly
while she sobbed against his chest.

  
‘Mum, come on, she’ll be
all right, she has to be.’ He swallowed hard; fighting back his own tears for
the sister he adored who was lying so pale and still. ‘You need to be strong
for Sammy.’

  
Jane touched his cheek.
‘Jon, what
would
I do without you? I might not be your real mum, but I
love you so much.’

  
‘You
are
my mum.’
Jon hugged her. ‘In every sense of the word you
are
my mother. Shall I
ask if I’m allowed to see Nick?’

  
Jane nodded. ‘Yes, go on;
tell Sammy I’ll be with her shortly. I just want to sit with Jess for a while.’

  
As Jon left the room,
Jane looked at her watch. Where had the time gone? It was almost
midnight
; Eddie and Roy would be with them
soon. She prayed that Ed was driving carefully. One road accident tonight was
enough to cope with. What an awful week it had been, she thought, first
Roy
and Sammy and now this.

  
As Jane sat holding
Jess’s hand her eyelids flickered open.

  
‘Mum,’ she uttered
weakly.

  
‘I’m here, darling.’

  
‘Mum, where’s Nick?’

  
‘He’s okay, love. Sammy
and Jason are with him at the moment.’

  
Jon re-appeared and
sighed with relief on seeing Jess with her eyes open. ‘Thank God! Hi, Sis, how
are you?’ He kissed her forehead and gently stroked her cheek.

  
‘I don’t know,’ she said
tearfully. ‘What happened, Mum?’

  
‘You had a crash on your
way to pick up Sammy and me. Don’t you remember?’

  
Jess frowned. ‘Will you
go and see if Nick is alright, Mum, please? Then come back to me.’

  
‘They wouldn’t let me
in.’ Jon whispered to Jane.

  
‘Okay.’ She stood up.
‘I’ll see what I can do. You stay with Jess, please, Jon.’

***

Jon took Jess’s hand and sat beside the bed. He felt sick inside
at the thought that he’d almost lost her. She was the most precious thing in
the world to him and at that moment he longed to tell her that he loved her,
that he’d always loved her and always would. Instead, he was forced to live a
lie and pretend that he was happy with Helen and life was hunky-dory. He smiled
as Jess looked at him, her lips trembling.

  
‘Will Nick be alright? I
couldn’t bear it if anything happened to him.’

  
He nodded and swallowed
hard. ‘They’re doing everything they can, Jess.’ He hoped he sounded
reassuring. ‘You just concentrate on getting well.’
 

***

Jane hurried down the corridor to ICU and was shown to Nick’s room
where a team of staff were attending to him.

  
Sammy told her there was
little response from Nick. ‘He’s not even breathing on his own. He’s all wired
up to those contraptions. They’re waiting for brain scan results. I wish
Roy
was here, I can’t cope with this,’
Sammy said tearfully as Jason put his arms around her, his lips trembling.

  
‘They won’t be long,
Sam,’ Jane said. ‘Just hang in there. I’ve left Jon looking after Jess. She’s
opened her eyes and she’s asking for Nick. What shall I tell her?’

  
‘Tell her he’s all right.
She doesn’t need to know anymore for now,’ Sammy advised.

  
Jane sighed. She squeezed
Sammy’s arm and left.

***

Tired and weary, Eddie asked at reception where their respective
families were. He was taken to Jess’s room and Roy to Intensive Care.

  
The tears that had
threatened all night tumbled freely down his cheeks as he stood by his
daughter’s bed. Jane, who had been dozing in a chair, looked up as he
sobbed.
   

  
‘Ed, thank God you’re
here.’ She stood up and he threw his arms around her, holding her tightly.
‘I’ve been on my own since Jon took Jason back to our place for the night.’

  
‘Is she going to be
okay?’
   

  
‘Yes, thank God,’ she
whispered. ‘But I’m not so sure about Nick.’ She explained the situation.
     

  
He nodded wearily. ‘
Roy
won’t be able to handle this. He’s
in a terrible state as it is. He sobered up a bit on the way home but he’s
still a
mes
s.’

***

Sammy turned as
Roy
was shown into Nick’s room. She
gasped at his gaunt and unshaven appearance. His usually twinkling eyes held a
haunted expression as he stared in disbelief at the still form of his son. He
collapsed onto his knees, crying.
   

  
Sammy dropped down beside
him and cradled him in her arms. ‘
Roy
, come on, you have to be strong
for me. Don’t you
dare
go to pieces,
Cantello. I can’t handle this on my own. I need you,
Roy
.’ She shook him by the shoulders.

  
He looked up through his
tears. Sammy took a tissue from her pocket and wiped his eyes and nose as
though he were a small child. ‘
Roy
, help me through this, please.’

  
He nodded and stood up,
pulling her into his arms.

  
Strong until that point,
Sammy broke down and let the tears flow. At that moment she felt she could
forgive
Roy
anything, just as long as Nick
survived.

  
‘What have they said?’ He
spoke quietly, smoothing her hair from her face.

 
‘Very little.’ She related
what the doctor had told her earlier. ‘It’s just time I suppose. The scans will
show if there’s any brain damage and we’ll have to cross that bridge when we
come to it.’

  
‘I want the best
treatment money can buy.’

  
‘Money’s not the answer
to this,
Roy
. They’re doing everything they
can.’

  
‘Mr and Mrs Cantello go
and stretch your legs and get yourselves a coffee,’ Nurse Hammond said.
‘There’s nothing you can do at the moment. I’ll come and find you immediately
there’s any change.’
 

  
‘Come on,
Roy
.’ Sammy took his arm. ‘I bet you
could use one after that long journey.’

  
They found a little cafe
in reception where Sammy ordered two coffees, a ham sandwich and a packet of
chocolate biscuits. She carried them to a table tucked in a corner in the hope
of avoiding the curious stares from several people who, she guessed, were trying
to place
Roy
’s familiar face.

  
‘Here, get those down
you. You look as though you haven’t eaten for days.’

  
He nodded,
absent-mindedly stirring his coffee. ‘I haven’t, not since Rozzilo’s on Monday.
I’ve no appetite. I’ve lived on booze and fags for the last couple of days. Do
the police know what happened? Was the crash, Nick’s fault?’

  
Sammy told him what the
police had told Jon.
   

  
He nodded, took a sip of
coffee and grimaced. ‘Ugh, cheap crap!’ He looked at her. ‘I wish I’d never
bought him the bloody car. This is all my fault.’

  
‘
Roy
, he would have used the BMW or my
Porsche tonight anyway, and they’re both fast cars. The accident could still
have happened. Don’t blame yourself, please. It doesn’t help anyone.’

  
He took her hand across
the table. ‘He has to survive, he just has to. I’m so sorry for what I’ve done,
Sam. You and the boys are everything to me. I’ve been a complete arse over
Livvy. I know you want a divorce, Ed told me. I don’t blame you, but won’t you
re-consider?’

  
‘
Roy
, at the moment all I can think
about is Nick. What’s happened between us doesn’t even come into the equation.
I feel numb right now. I’m not going to lie and promise you that it will be
okay. Let’s get through the next few days and then we’ll see.’

  
‘I love you, Sammy,’ he
said, adding, ‘with all my heart.’

  
‘And I love you too,
Roy
, but it’s not that simple.’

  
They walked back down the
corridor and popped their heads around Jess’s door. Eddie was sitting on the
one comfortable chair in the corner of the room. Jane was sleeping on his lap,
her head resting against his chest. He smiled at the pair as they walked in.

  
‘How is she?’
Roy
whispered.

  
‘Sleeping. Whatever
they’ve given her for pain has zonked her out.’