The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (59 page)

  
‘Poor Jess.’ Sammy bit
her lip. ‘She’ll go mad when she looks in the mirror. I hope that cut on her
chin doesn’t leave a bad scar.’

  
‘That’s the least of her
worries,’ Eddie said. ‘How’s Nick?’

  
‘No change,’
Roy
replied. ‘His face is a bit of a
mes
s and there’s no response. He’s
still not breathing unaided.’
         

  
Choking back tears, Eddie
shook his head as
Roy
and Sammy said their goodbyes and returned to their bedside
vigil.

***

After sitting in one position for hours, Eddie had developed pins
and needles in his left leg and was desperate for a pee, but didn’t want to
disturb Jane. His mind wandered over the earlier news she’d imparted, about
Angie’s father’s death and the family wanting Jon to attend the funeral. He
really hoped that Jon wouldn’t want to go.

  
What if Angie’s sister
showed him photographs of his late mother and Richard? There would be sure to
be some lying around the family home. Would Jon spot the likeness between him
and Richard Price and put two and two together? Or more likely, would Sally
spot the likeness between the now adult Jon and Richard? They were identical.
Eddie sighed. He’d tried so hard to hide the truth, but at the back of his mind
there had always lurked the dread that one day something like this would happen
and consequences would have to be faced.

***

When Jess was discharged from hospital her parents drove her back
daily to visit Nick. She sat by his bedside silently cursing the pearl
engagement ring and the old wives saying about pearls and tears. She was
convinced it was contributory to the accident and wished desperately that she’d
chosen something else. She brought books and read to him, played tapes of his
favourite singers and groups,
Sting
,
The Cure
, and
Queen.

  
She sang along to a tape
of some of their own songs, fully expecting him to open his eyes and join in.
She brushed his hair, telling the nurses how fussy he was about the way he
liked it styled. His facial injuries had healed and he looked as handsome as
ever, but was still wired up to the equipment that was keeping him alive. She
talked to him about their forthcoming wedding, the honeymoon in The Maldives
and the possibility of having a family in the future. But Jess knew in her
heart these things were unlikely to happen now.

  
Once hospital staff
realised whose teenagers they were looking after, word quickly spread. The
newspapers printed a front-page report of the accident and showed a photograph
of Roy and Eddie receiving an award for their recent song-writing achievements.
Flowers and gifts were delivered to the hospital from fans and there were
always a couple of reporters on hand waiting for a news update, but Jess
avoided them when she could. She was unable to share her grief with strangers.

  
Two more weeks ticked
slowly by and as Nick showed no signs of recovery, Jess slipped further into
the depths of despair. ‘He’s not going to make it,’ she sobbed against Jon’s
chest.

  
‘He will; you mustn’t
give up hope,’ Jon said, wiping her eyes.

  
Jon and Jess were taking
their turn with the twenty-four hour vigil Sammy had insisted upon.
 
She wanted to be certain that if Nick showed
the slightest response to anything, someone close should be there to witness
it.

  
Jess shook her head.
‘I’ve had a feeling for months that something was going to happen. Something
bad I mean. The recurring dream and the feelings I had in
France
and at his birthday party. They
were premonitions, I suppose. Whenever I’ve tried to picture me and Nick
married, I can’t, no matter how much I try. It’s been like looking at a blank
photograph. It’s not there in my head. I said on his birthday he would always
be eighteen and I was right. He’s going to die.’

  
Jon swallowed hard, took
her in his arms and buried his face in her hair. ‘I wish I could take the pain
away.’
 

  
‘Just being here with me
helps,’ she said. ‘I need you. I couldn’t do this without you, Jon.’

  
In the last week of
August, Nick developed a chest infection, which quickly turned to pneumonia and
Jess realised her fears were to become reality.

  
A distraught
Roy
called them all to the hospital.
Nick was not expected to last the night.

  
Numb with grief, Jess sat
by Nick’s bedside holding his hand. She couldn’t cry tonight for some reason,
but felt she’d shed more tears lately than she would ever have imagined it
possible to shed in one lifetime. She gazed round at them all. Her Dad, tears
in his eyes, holding Mum who was sobbing. Roy and Sammy; a truce declared,
divorce proceedings on hold, devastated beyond belief, clinging to one another.
Jon, his arm around Jason who was crying heartbrokenly, was a rock.
 

  
Nick passed away just
after
three am
. The consultant told them he would have remained in a permanent
vegetative state even if he’d survived the pneumonia. At that point, Jess knew
it wouldn’t have been right for such a vibrant and lively young man and she
laid her head on his chest and said her goodbyes. Jon led her out of the room,
following their parents, leaving Sammy, Roy and Jason to say their goodbyes in
private.

***

Nick’s funeral was a family and friends affair and afterwards he
was laid to rest in Ashlea churchyard, alongside
Roy
’s late Italian grandparents. A
memorial service held the following week in Ashlea church, where Nick and Jess
had been planning to marry, was attended by family, friends, fans of
The Zoo
and staff from the
hospital.
                  

  
Following the service the
congregation was invited back to
Roy
and Sammy’s home for a celebration
of Nick’s life. As
Roy
, Sammy, Jason and Jess left to walk the short distance to Jasmine
House Eddie spotted the lone figure of Livvy Grant, standing by the side of the
church.

  
‘Jane, go on ahead with
the others. There’s someone I just want to have a quick word with.’

  
‘Okay,’ Jane replied,
following Jon, and Sammy’s parents, out of the churchyard.
          
          

  
Eddie waited until they
were out of sight and strode over to Livvy. She looked up at him, blue eyes
anxious in her pale face.

  
‘What are you doing here,
Livvy?’ he asked her gently.

  
‘I came to pay my last
respects to Nick,’ she replied, eyes brimming with tears. ‘He used to be my
friend.’

  
Eddie patted her
shoulder. ‘I know, love and I understand. But don’t you think it was a bit
insensitive to turn up today? Sammy’s had enough upset to last her a lifetime
these last few weeks.’

  
Livvy nodded. ‘Yes, I’m
sure. Jon told me Sammy had done some awful things to
Roy
when she found out about us.’

  
‘She did. But Nick’s
death’s made the problems they had pale into insignificance,’ he replied.

  
Livvy’s lips trembled and
she dug her hands deep into her jacket pockets. She looked around at the
congregation who were slowly dispersing and leaving the churchyard.

  
‘Is everyone going back
to
Roy
’s house?’

  
‘Yes,’ Eddie replied.
‘How come you’re not at work? Jon, Sean and John Grey are all here. Who’s
looking after the store?’

  
‘Ian from instruments is
in the record department until I get back. It’s my lunch hour. I just wanted to
say goodbye to Nick, that’s all.’

  
‘Go back to work now
you’ve done that,’ Eddie advised. ‘Whatever you do, don’t contact
Roy
. Keep your distance. Let him and
Sammy have a chance to get their heads around things.’

  
‘I really need to speak
to
Roy
,’ Livvy replied, looking directly
at Eddie.

  
‘No you don’t, Livvy,’
Eddie said, a little more sharply than he intended. ‘Just leave him
alone.’
      

  
‘Before Nick’s accident,
Roy
was going to call me when he got
back from
London
. Obviously he hasn’t done because of what’s happened,’ she said.

  
‘The affair’s over. It’s
time to put it behind you. Get on with your life. Let Roy and Sammy get on with
picking up the pieces of theirs.’

  
She folded her arms
across her chest and looked away. ‘I
do
need to speak to
Roy
,’ she repeated. ‘I’ve something to
tell him. Will you ask him to call me, please?’

   
‘No, I won’t. Now stop
this and go back to work, please.’

  
‘Don’t patronise me,
Eddie. If you won’t ask him to call me, perhaps you’ll be good enough to pass
on a
mes
sage, or I’m going to have to phone
him myself.’

  
Realising that he didn’t
have much choice, Eddie nodded. ‘Listen, I have to go or I’ll be missed. What’s
the
mes
sage?’
   

  
‘Just tell him I’m
pregnant,’ she replied quietly. She turned and walked away.

  
Eddie felt as though
someone had snatched the ground from beneath his feet and hit him between the
eyes with a cannon ball. Had he heard right? ‘Livvy,’ he called, running after
her. ‘Livvy, wait.’

  
She spun round, defiance
etched on her pale face.

  
‘What did you say?’ He
grabbed her by the shoulders and looked at her tearstained face.

  
‘I’m pregnant,’ she
sobbed, ‘with
Roy
’s baby.’

  
‘Oh, Jesus Christ!’ Eddie
clapped his hand to his forehead. ‘I don’t believe it. That’s all we fucking
need! Are you sure?’

  
She nodded. ‘It was
confirmed the day Nick died. I’m three months gone.’

  
‘I can’t tell
Roy
this, I just can’t. Not today
anyway.’ He wracked his brains for a temporary solution, one that would prevent
Livvy from contacting
Roy
. ‘What day are you off next week?’

  
‘Monday,’ she replied.
‘Why?’

  
‘Right then, I’ll call
you on Monday morning. We need to talk about this. I presume you know what you
want to do?’ She nodded and the tears started again. ‘Yes.’

  
‘Don’t worry. I’ve been
in this position myself. It’s scary, I know, but these days you have choices,
which is more than me and Jon’s mum had.’

  
Livvy smiled weakly,
looking a bit more cheerful for confiding in him.

  
‘Listen, I tell you what;
I won’t phone you. I’ll come and see you on Monday after I’ve dropped Katie and
Dom at school. It’ll probably be about nine-thirty. For God’s sake don’t tell a
soul, not even our Jon. Jane will kill me if she finds out I’ve even been
talking to you. I must go, I’ll see you Monday, okay?’

  
Livvy nodded, thanked him
and walked towards her car.

  
As he left the
churchyard, Eddie’s mind worked overtime. He wouldn’t say a word to
Roy
about Livvy’s pregnancy until he’d
spoken to her on Monday morning. For fuck’s sake,
Roy
was forty-two, contraception was
available everywhere you looked and he’d
still
managed to put her in the club. He sighed as he crunched up the long gravel
driveway of Jasmine House. Jesus Christ! The press will have a bloody field day
if this ever gets out so soon after Nick’s death.
       

***

Roy
met Eddie in the hallway and
handed him a whisky. ‘Where’ve you been?’

  
‘Talking to someone,’
Eddie replied cagily.

  
‘Was it Livvy by any
chance?’

  
‘What makes you think
that?’

  
‘Because Jason told me
he’d spotted her near the church, but obviously he couldn’t go and speak to
her. Don’t tell Sammy she was there.’

 
‘What do you take me for,
Roy
?’