Lost Angel (30 page)

‘All right, phone one, then,’ Rita snapped when Angel handed her the towels and relayed the message. ‘And tell ’em to hurry, ’cos it won’t just be the sheets that are ruined in a minute, it’ll be the mattress an’ all.’

The paramedics rushed Ruth straight to A&E. Angel rang her dad on the way and he reached the hospital twenty minutes later, just as the doctor finished examining Ruth and came out to tell them what was going on.

‘It’s cancer, isn’t it?’ Rita blurted out when she saw the grim expression on the doctor’s face. ‘I knew it.’

‘The ultrasound has revealed a mass in Mrs Conroy’s womb,’ the doctor explained. ‘We’re concerned that there may have been some kind of rupture, but we’ll need to operate as soon as possible to find out exactly what we’re dealing with. Unfortunately, she’s unable to sign the consent form, so her next of kin will have to—’

‘That’s me,’ Rita cut in, pushing herself forward. ‘I’m her mother. I’ll do it.’

‘
I
’ll do it,’ Johnny told the doctor, snatching the form.

Angel stood back and wrapped her arms around herself. She hadn’t understood what the doctor had said, but she’d never seen her dad look so serious before and that scared her even more than the doctor’s air of urgency.

‘You can pop in and see her,’ the doctor told them when Johnny handed the signed form back. ‘But you’ll need to be quick because she’s about to be sedated.’

Johnny turned to go into the room but hesitated when Rita plonked herself down on a chair and folded her arms.

‘Aren’t you coming in?’

‘I’ll wait my turn,’ she replied childishly. ‘You’re obviously more important than me.’

‘Oh, just grow up,’ Angel snapped. ‘This isn’t about you. My mum’s about to have an operation.’

‘I’ve had loads,’ Rita informed her. ‘But you don’t hear me complaining.’

‘You never
stop
,’ Angel retorted incredulously.

‘Don’t,’ Johnny said quietly. ‘Let’s just go and say bye to your mum, then I’ll drop you both home.’

‘I’m not going anywhere with
her
,’ Angel said defiantly.

‘You’ll do as you’re bloody well told,’ Rita informed her angrily. ‘And if your father was any kind of man, he’d kick your backside from here to hell and back for being so disrespectful.’

Johnny narrowed his eyes and peered down at his mother-in-law. ‘You’re right,’ he said, bringing an immediate smirk of satisfaction to her lips. ‘But respect has to be earned – and you haven’t earned it.’

‘It’s no wonder she’s turned out so bad with a no-mark like you for a father,’ spat Rita, her eyes flashing with hate. ‘Frankie should have cut your balls off the first time you ever went near our Ruth.’

Angel burst into tears.

‘Ignore her,’ Johnny said, putting his arm around her. ‘I do.’

‘No, I can’t take it,’ Angel cried. ‘Not today. My mum’s really ill, and all she wants to do is argue.’

‘Stop crying,’ Johnny said quietly. ‘Your mum doesn’t need to see you like this, so pull yourself together. We’ll go and say bye to her, then I’ll drop you round at Lisa’s. You can stay there till I’ve finished down at the yard. Okay?’

Angel nodded, and wiped her nose on the back of her hand.

Furious that he was rewarding the girl for defying her, Rita said, ‘Don’t think you’re bringing her back to my house if you take her round there, ’cos I’m not having it.’

‘It’s not your house,’ Johnny reminded her coldly.

‘It’s more mine than yours,’ Rita shot back sharply. ‘But that’s you all over, isn’t it, Jimmy Conroy? You’ve been scrounging your way through this family from day one, and now you think you’re king of the castle. But you’re not. And you’re not fooling me, neither, ’cos I know your game. You’re gonna dump her on that slut, then take off with one of your whores while my Ruth’s too sick to stop you.’

‘Stop it,’ Angel cried, covering her ears with her hands.

‘You’re the one who needs to stop it,’ Rita turned on her. ‘You need to stop mooning over him like he’s some kind of god when you don’t know the half of what he’s put your poor mother through over the years. Why don’t you ask him about all the other women he’s had behind her back?’

Johnny had heard more than enough. Steely gaze fixed on Rita, he jerked his head at Angel. ‘Go and say bye to your mum.’

Icy fear trickled down Angel’s spine when she heard the tone of his voice. Her nan had pushed him too far, and she was scared that he might do something stupid and get himself arrested if she left them alone.

‘Come with me,’ she begged, tugging on his arm. ‘Please, Dad . . . you heard what the doctor said. She’s not going to be awake for much longer.’

Johnny inhaled deeply and fought to bring his temper under control. Rita had been riding him like a dog from the very first time they’d met, and it was high time she got her comeuppance. But he didn’t want to upset Angel any more than she already was so, nodding, he turned his back on Rita and ushered Angel in to see Ruth.

It was too late. She was already asleep, and the porter was preparing to wheel her up to the operating theatre.

Rita had gone by the time they came back out into the corridor. Concerned that he might have gone too far and scared the old bitch, Johnny said, ‘Maybe you’d best go home, cupcake. There’s no telling what she’ll do if she gets bladdered while she’s in a state.’

‘No, I’m going to Aunt Lisa’s.’ Angel dug her heels in. ‘Sorry, Dad, but she’s already being nasty, and she’ll only get worse if she’s drunk.’

‘Okay,’ Johnny conceded. ‘I suppose she’s old enough to look after herself. But I’ve really got to go now, or I’m going to be late for my meeting.’

Angel gave him a probing look. ‘It’s not with a woman, is it?’

‘Behave,’ Johnny snorted, putting his arm around her. ‘Since when have I done business with women?’

‘So my nan was lying?

‘What do you think?’ Johnny gazed down sincerely into her eyes.

‘Sorry,’ Angel murmured, cuddling up to him as they walked out to the car.

23

Lisa was surprised when she opened her door to find both Johnny
and
Angel on the step. Not so much Johnny, because he still came round quite regularly. But it had been ages since Angel had been here, and she looked upset, which made Lisa wonder if something had happened.

‘Is everything all right?’ She gave Johnny a questioning look as he ushered Angel inside.

‘Ruth’s in hospital,’ he told her. ‘And Rita was playing funny buggers, so Angel didn’t want to go home with her. Can she stop with you till I’ve finished work?’

‘Course she can.’ Lisa agreed without hesitation.

‘Cheers. I don’t know how late I’ll be back, ’cos I’ve got loads on today, but I’ll ring you when I’m on my way.’

‘Why don’t you just let her stay the night?’ Lisa suggested. ‘Then you won’t have to rush.’

‘Can I?’ Angel gave Johnny a hopeful look.

‘I suppose so,’ he agreed, figuring that under the circumstances she’d be better off here than with her nan. At least he could trust Lisa to keep her mouth shut.

Lisa smiled at Angel. ‘Go and get yourself a drink while me and your dad have a quick word, babe. And there’s some cake in the cupboard if you fancy it.’

She closed the door when Angel had gone and went to Johnny for a hug.

‘Leave it out,’ he muttered. ‘She might walk in on us.’

‘Sorry, didn’t think.’ Lisa folded her arms. ‘So, is our Ruth bad, or what?’

‘Didn’t look too good. They were taking her for an operation when we left.’

‘Why, what’s happened? She’s not had an accident, has she?’

‘No, it’s her stomach. The doctor mentioned something about a rupture, but I wasn’t really taking it in, to be honest.’

Lisa winced and sucked in a breath through her teeth. ‘Sounds painful.’

‘Yeah, well, at least they’re on it, so hopefully they’ll get it sorted,’ said Johnny. ‘They’re going to ring when they’re finished, so I’ll let you know what’s going on. Hope it’s nothing serious,’ he added concernedly. ‘Angel’s trying not to show it, but she’s worried sick.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Lisa said reassuringly. ‘I’ll keep her occupied to take her mind off it.’

‘Take her out,’ said Johnny, peeling some notes out of his wallet and handing them to her. ‘Go shopping, or whatever you girls like doing.’

Lisa slotted the money into her pocket and gazed up at him through her lashes. ‘Are you coming round later?’

‘Don’t think that’s a very good idea, do you?’ Johnny nodded at the door.

‘She’ll be fast asleep by ten,’ Lisa whispered. ‘And I’ve got something special to show you.’

Johnny’s eyes tracked her finger as she trailed it slowly down between her breasts. ‘All right,’ he murmured. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

‘I’ll be waiting,’ she purred, confident that he would come.

Johnny popped his head round the door and shouted goodbye to Angel. Lisa showed him out and watched until he’d driven away before going back to the kitchen.

‘Find everything you wanted?’ she asked.

Mouth too full of cake to answer in words, Angel nodded and watched as Lisa switched on the kettle and reached into the cupboard for a cup. Wiping her mouth on the back of her hand when she’d swallowed, she said, ‘Have you had your hair cut, Aunt Lisa?’

‘Trust you to notice.’ Lisa smiled and touched it self-consciously. ‘I had it done a few days ago, but nobody else has said anything. I thought it might be a bit short.’

‘No, it really suits you,’ Angel told her. ‘And you look like you’ve lost weight as well.’

‘Oh, you’re so good for my ego.’ Lisa laughed softly. ‘Never mind staying the night, I think you should move in.’

I wish
, thought Angel. Her mum and nan hated Lisa and were always talking about her behind her back, but Angel really liked her. She was pretty and easygoing, and she had great taste in clothes. Angel couldn’t imagine her mum wearing any kind of jeans, never mind the sexy hipster ones that Lisa wore. And Lisa always wore heels, which made her legs look great, while Angel’s mum slopped around in flats that looked stretched and baggy on her fat feet.

Disloyal as she felt for thinking it, Angel sometimes wondered how her mum had managed to bag a handsome man like her dad. Wherever he went, women fell over themselves to get near him. And he obviously enjoyed the attention because he was always flirting with them.

But while flirting might be harmless, playing around definitely wasn’t, and it brought back to mind what her nan had said at the hospital. Angel hoped she’d been lying, because all her friends’ parents had either split up or divorced – and Angel never wanted that to happen to hers. But why would her nan have said it if there was no truth to it? And why hadn’t her dad denied it outright when she’d mentioned it?

‘You’re quiet.’ Lisa glanced back over her shoulder as she stirred a sugar into her tea. ‘You’re not worrying about your mum, are you? ’Cos I’m sure she’ll be fine.’

‘I was thinking about my dad,’ Angel told her quietly. ‘My nan said something at the hospital and it got me thinking.’

Lisa rolled her eyes and carried her cup over to the table. ‘What’s the old boot said now?’

‘That my dad was only leaving me here with you so he could go out whoring,’ Angel murmured, blushing as she said the last word because it sounded so horrible. ‘But he wouldn’t cheat on my mum, would he? He must love her or they wouldn’t have been married for so long, would they?’

Lisa gripped her cup hard. Angel was pretty, and clever, but she was way too innocent for this world if she hadn’t sussed out what her father was really like by now.
Ruth
knew, but she’d chosen to pretend that she didn’t. And Lisa was no better, because she was still entertaining Johnny, despite the fact that he’d had almost twenty years to choose between her and Ruth. She’d known he couldn’t leave while her Uncle Frankie was still alive, but when it still hadn’t happened after Frankie died she’d tried to finish it, only for Johnny to talk her round and promise that he would do it when Angel was old enough.

So here she was – still waiting, and hoping, and taking whatever she could get of him in the meantime.

But there was no point hurting Angel with the truth so Lisa smiled, shook her head, and said, ‘Course he wouldn’t cheat on her, babe.’ Then, ‘Anyway, we’d best go and get you a toothbrush if you’re stopping the night. Your dad’s given me some money, so where do you want to go – Arndale or Trafford Centre?’

‘I don’t mind,’ said Angel, her worried frown disappearing at the thought of going out – even if it was only for a toothbrush.

24

Johnny was in the office with Dave and a client when the call came from the hospital at six that evening. He excused himself and went out to the car to take it in private.

Dismayed when he heard that Ruth had haemorrhaged during surgery, and that the surgeon had made the decision to perform a hysterectomy, he said, ‘Is she all right?’

‘She’s still quite poorly,’ the nurse told him. ‘But we’ve moved her to ICU, and she’ll be closely monitored for the next twenty-four hours, so there’s no need to worry.’

‘Any idea when she’ll be able to come home?’ Johnny asked, already wondering how he was going to manage to balance work and looking after Angel.

‘The operation was quite traumatic, so, depending how quickly she heals, she might be with us for a couple of weeks,’ the nurse replied. ‘You can visit whenever you like while she’s in ICU, but she’s still pretty heavily sedated, so you might want to leave it for tonight. If you do decide to come we’d advise you not to bring any children with you, because it can be upsetting for them to see all the tubes and breathing apparatus.’

Johnny thanked her, and then called Lisa. He could hear noise in the background and guessed that they were out shopping. Angel sounded so happy when she came on the line that he decided it would be cruel to worry her all over again, so he lied and said that the operation had gone really well, and that her mum was already sitting up and complaining about the food they’d given her for dinner.

Angel laughed, and said, ‘Typical!’ But Johnny heard the relief in her voice and knew that he’d made the right decision.

He wasn’t about to spare Rita the worry, though. After her little tantrum at the hospital earlier, he thought it would do her good to know how serious it actually was. But when she didn’t answer either the house or the mobile phone, Johnny hissed through his teeth with exasperation. Great! Now he was going to have to go round and make sure that the old witch hadn’t drunk herself into a coma and drowned in her own puke.