Second Time Around (26 page)

Tomorrow? She sighed. Still, the sooner it was done, the better. ‘That’s fine, Keith. See you then.’

If Jess needed distraction from her encounter with Louis, she had it. She dreaded the chat she had to have with her brother-in-law. Why had she agreed to do this? She should have at least asked
Noel to be there as moral support. Maybe she should text him and ask him to come round, but she knew that her mother would be suspicions if her lazy son was up that early in the morning. No, Jess
would just have to do this alone.

She resigned herself to a restless night; the only thing sustaining her was that getting Bobby help was of far greater importance than dealing with her own problems. Nora’s concerns about
her nephew hurting his mother or the new baby had really upset her. That was what she needed to keep in mind as she tried to get through to her brother-in-law. Whatever his faults, she remembered
his terror at the thought he could lose Sharon. She needed to use that love to make him face up to the fact that steps had to be taken, and soon.

Jess lay in bed but, instead of worrying about talking to Keith, she found herself thinking about Cal and the concern and tenderness in those beautiful eyes that seemed to see into the depths of
her soul. Was that how he looked at his clients? Was he being kind because she was Noel’s sister, or did he have feelings for her? She recalled his words earlier that evening: ‘Call me
anyway.’ But that was before she’d told him what Louis had done. That was a stumbling block she wasn’t sure they could overcome. Still, she could dream, and dreaming of Cal was
infinitely preferable to lying awake worrying about the next confrontation with Louis. Because, if there was one thing Jess knew for certain, he’d be back.

Keith lay awake, listening to his wife’s steady breathing and wondering what Jess had to say. He’d been expecting a call, of course, but not quite so soon, although
he’d noticed today how tired Suzie looked. She’d been unusually quiet, too, which probably meant that she was afraid to open her mouth as, once Suzie got started, there was no stopping
her. Sharon seemed unaware of any problems but, then, Keith had gone to great lengths to ensure that he was the one who collected Bobby every day.

Much as Suzie was worried about Sharon, he still didn’t trust her to keep her comments and criticism to herself. He couldn’t keep them apart for ever, but he’d do his best
until Bobby had settled into the new routine. It seemed to be working out pretty well, although he had a feeling that Jess was going to shatter his illusions on that score. He glanced at the clock,
switched off the alarm and slipped out of bed to go and wake his son and make breakfast.

Bobby
would
pick today to act up. From the moment Keith had woken him, he had been sullen and unresponsive. Now he sat at the kitchen table, rocking,
his breakfast untouched.

‘Eat your Rice Krispies,’ Keith said quietly, and left his son to take tea and toast up to Sharon. She yawned, stretched and gave him a sleepy smile. ‘Thanks, sweetheart. You
spoil me.’

He helped her to sit up and kissed her. ‘You deserve to be spoiled. Did you sleep well?’

‘Yeah, not bad at all. How’s Bobby today?’

‘All is quiet,’ he reported honestly. ‘You look better.’ It was true, he realised, caressing her small bump. She was more relaxed and her forehead was smooth. Noticing
that made him realise how her brow had previously been almost permanently creased in a frown from the stress and anxiety of looking after their son. Now, though, there was a healthy glow to her
skin and her eyes shone. If it weren’t for his meeting with Jess, he’d be tempted to come home after he’d dropped his son to school and hop back into bed beside her.

‘I was thinking that I might pick Bobby up from school today and spend the afternoon with him and Mum. I feel guilty that I’ve hardly seen her lately when she’s being so good.
And, although Bobby took a while to settle, he seems fine now.’

Keith hesitated, thinking of his silent, brooding son downstairs. ‘Not today, sweetheart. It’s going to get quite warm this afternoon. Too warm for you to walk to school and then
another twenty minutes to your mum’s.’ As Sharon opened her mouth to protest, he played his ace. ‘Besides, Suzie might think you’re checking up on her. Leave it for a couple
of weeks.’

Her eyes filled with doubt and she sighed. ‘Maybe you’re right.’

‘Why don’t you meet Lisa and Shelley for a coffee instead?’

‘Lisa got herself a morning job and I couldn’t listen to Shelley’s twins for the morning. They’re teething and a nightmare.’ Sharon patted her tummy and smiled.
‘Are you listening in there? You had better be a little angel.’

Keith chuckled. ‘I know, why don’t you go for a massage? You were saying your back ached.’

Her face lit up. ‘Oh, yes, that would be nice. I’ll give the spa a call and see if they can fit me in.’

He pulled a few euros out of his back pocket and tossed them on the bedside table. ‘It’s on me. Now, I must get our son to school.’ He kissed her. ‘See you
later.’

‘Send him up to say goodbye,’ she called after him. ‘And, thanks, darling.’

Keith hurried down to the kitchen and made an extra sandwich to put in his son’s lunchbox: he’d be ravenous by break time.

It was after nine when they got to the school and Keith had to walk Bobby down to the classroom.

‘Sorry. Mondays!’ He rolled his eyes and laughed while the teacher just gave a polite smile and sent Bobby to his desk.

‘Do you have a moment, Mr Mulvey?’

‘Sure.’

She led him back into the corridor, leaving the door ajar so that she could keep one eye on her class. ‘I won’t delay you. I just wondered if you and your wife had thought about my
suggestion.’

Keith frowned. ‘Suggestion?’

She seemed flustered by his reaction. ‘She was worried about him and asked how he was in school. I suggested he might benefit from some one-on-one assistance?’

What the hell? Keith was about to ask her to explain but it was clear that she already had. Sharon just hadn’t passed it on. He nodded. ‘Of course, I’m sorry. My wife has been
ill and we haven’t had an opportunity to discuss it.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.’

‘Thank you. She’s a lot better now, but needs to take it easy. I’ll talk to her and get back to you about the, er, assistance.’

‘That’s fine. Please don’t worry about it. I’ll keep a special eye on him.’

‘I’d appreciate that.’ He shook her hand and strode down the corridor, across the playground and out onto the road.

Once safely in the car, Keith thumped the steering wheel and gave a strangled roar. What was Sharon playing at? Why hadn’t she told him that she’d talked to Bobby’s teacher? He
was sorely tempted to go straight home and confront his wife, but he needed to calm down first. In this frame of mind, he certainly wouldn’t do her blood pressure much good. Anyway, he had a
meeting to go to.

Jess opened the door, her eyes darting past him, before giving him a nervous smile. ‘Hi, Keith. Come on up.’

He followed her, knowing that, whatever she had to say, he really didn’t want to hear it. He thought of the teacher’s words and how Sharon had kept it from him, and his gut instinct
was to run and keep running.

‘Coffee?’

‘Please.’

‘How’s Sharon?’

‘Stronger and calmer.’ He smiled. ‘Thanks to you guys.’

‘That’s good.’ She sat down opposite him, ignoring her coffee and pulling nervously on the sleeve of her jersey.

He sighed. The way she was beating about the bush, this must be bad. ‘So, you wanted to talk?’ he prompted.

She bit her lip and then nodded. ‘It’s about Bobby. He’s been quite agitated since he’s started coming to Mum.’

‘She said he was fine, so did Noel.’ Keith frowned at her. ‘So did you.’

‘Yes, well, we didn’t want to worry you. We thought that he’d settle down.’

‘He will,’ Keith quickly assured her, willing her not to tell him to make other arrangements.

Jess nodded. ‘Yes, hopefully he will as he gets more used to us and the house. Mum’s been great. She’s even managing to control her temper and her swearing,’ she gave a
weak smile, ‘but it’s taking a lot out of her, Keith.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ Keith was racking his brain for a solution that would keep everyone happy. ‘Sharon won’t let him go to a childminder or an afterschool
club. I suppose I could try to finish work a little earlier so Suzie doesn’t have to mind him for as long.’

‘That’s not why I called you,’ Jess interrupted, tugging more frantically on her sleeve. ‘Look, Keith, some of Bobby’s behaviour worries Noel and me. Unlike Mum, we
haven’t ever spent this much time with him, so, well, it was a surprise. And when we studied Sharon’s binder—’

He looked at her, bemused. ‘I don’t understand. What binder?’

She frowned. ‘The folder of tips Sharon put together for us about Bobby. Didn’t you know about it?’

He stared at her, then sighed and shook his head. ‘I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. She doesn’t think anyone’s capable of looking after him the way that she
can.’

‘That’s probably true. When you read it from cover to cover, it comes across that Sharon thinks there’s something wrong with Bobby.’

‘What’s wrong is that she’s spoiled him and unless he gets his own way he throws a tantrum.’

Jess looked at him and the concern and pity in her eyes unnerved him.

‘I don’t think it’s that simple, Keith.’

He sat back and crossed his arms. ‘Why don’t you tell me what you
do
think, Jess? You’ve obviously got an opinion.’

Jess didn’t get annoyed at his sarcastic tone. Instead, she held his gaze and answered, her voice quiet but clear. ‘Have you noticed how he doesn’t get jokes or realise when
you’re teasing him? The way he prefers to play alone, always with the same toys, deliberately isolating himself? How he eats his food in a specific order? The way he rarely responds with more
than a couple of words when you try to engage him? Normally, at that age, you can’t shut kids up.’

‘He’s like me. I was quiet and had favourite toys and, yes, I could be a right little pain in the arse. So, he’s a bit odd. What about it?’

‘How does he get on at school?’ she asked.

That stopped Keith in his tracks as he remembered the teacher’s words earlier. Bobby needed help. She had discussed it with his wife, said Bobby needed one-on-one assistance.
‘Fine,’ he lied, dropping his gaze. ‘He’s great at maths,’ he added for good measure.

Jess frowned. ‘We’ve been talking, Noel and I, with Cal—’

Keith’s eyes widened. ‘Noel’s mate?’

‘He’s a psychologist and knows more about kids than we do,’ she explained, ‘and he suggested that perhaps Bobby should be tested for ASD.’

‘What’s that?’

‘It’s autism spectrum disorder.’

He looked at her in horror. ‘My son is not autistic.’

‘That’s what I said,’ Jess assured him, ‘but there’s no harm in getting him tested. Cal said that, if he was diagnosed, then he could get the help he needed.
Apparently it’s quite common for it to go under the radar in mild cases. Family become so accustomed to their kids’ quirks, they dismiss them. often it’s the teachers who spot
something.’

Keith shook his head, feeling angry and frightened. The more she said, the more sense it made, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t accept that there was something wrong with his son.
‘With all due respect, Jess, you’re a journalist, not a doctor, and I’m not impressed with you discussing my son with friends.’

‘And I . . . we wouldn’t, normally, but when Bobby hit Mum—’

‘What?’ Keith felt sick.

She sighed. ‘Don’t worry, she’s fine, but Noel was a bit freaked out and so he asked Cal’s opinion.’

‘Is that the only time Bobby’s hit her?’ Keith asked, thinking of the times he’d had to restrain his son.

Jess sighed and shook her head. ‘No, I’ve seen him lash out before and I’ve been on the receiving end a couple of times. I’ve never felt that he did it to hurt me,
though. It was always as if he was out of control and didn’t even realise he was doing it. The truth is, Keith, we’re feeling out of our depth. We don’t know if we’re doing
something to cause Bobby’s mood swings or how to deal with them.’

Keith closed his eyes, wishing she’d stop. He didn’t want to hear any of this. ‘For fuck’s sake, Jess, all you have to do is mind him for a few hours. You don’t
have to psychoanalyse the child to do that.’

She lifted her chin and met his eyes, still calm. ‘We’re worried about Mum getting another fall or a knock to her head.’

Keith groaned. ‘You want me to find someone else to mind him.’

‘No.’ Jess shook her head, vehemently. ‘We wouldn’t be having this conversation if we weren’t concerned about Bobby too and, of course, we want to get Sharon safely
through this pregnancy.’

‘Then what exactly are you suggesting I do, Jess?’ he said, feeling angry and frustrated and, more than that, fearful.

‘Talk to the school, to Bobby’s teachers, and get their opinion. They see him every school day and, according to Cal, they’ll probably have noticed the signs if he
is
on the spectrum.’

Keith narrowed his eyes. ‘Or else?’

‘It’s not an ultimatum, Keith,’ Jess said, visibly upset now. ‘We just want what’s best for everyone. If you ask Mum, she’ll keep telling you that she’s
coping fine, but that’s not true. The fact that she’s lying should tell you how worried she is about Sharon. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep her and the baby safe.’

Keith stood up and went to stare out of the window. He didn’t believe that Bobby was autistic but perhaps it would shut them all up if the child was assessed. After all, if Suzie
didn’t mind him, who would?

‘Cal says that there are some great medications now and the schools have care assistants to help children with ASD. But first he must be officially assessed and diagnosed.’

He took a deep breath and turned back to his sister-in-law. ‘I’ve got to go.’

Jess put a hand on his arm as he went to walk past her. ‘I didn’t tell you to upset you, Keith. We only want to help and we will, in any way that we can.’