TWENTY

Billie Jo lay back on her bed and let out a huge sigh of relief as the pains in her stomach subsided momentarily. Picking up her mobile, she tried Danny's number for what seemed like the hundredth time. Hearing his voicemail, she could have cried with frustration. Where was he? He knew the baby was due anytime and she'd told him to keep his phone with him, no matter what. Feeling the pains come back with a vengeance, Billie realised she was going to have to do something fast, otherwise she'd be giving birth alone. Grabbing her phone, she rang Carly's mobile. By this time she was not only in pain but also petrified.

Carly was sitting in the Pizza Hut in Hornchurch having a bite to eat with Jamie. She could barely make sense out of what Billie Jo was frantically trying to tell her but finally got the gist of it on her second attempt.

'Just stay put, Bill. Me and Jamie will be with you in ten minutes. I'll call an ambulance for you. Will you be able to get to the front door to open it?'

'Yes, I think so,' Billie sobbed. 'I feel all wet down below, Carly. I think my waters have broken, please hurry up.'

Carly's heart was beating like mad as she rushed out of the restaurant. 'We're on our way, Bill. If I was you, I'd give Jade a quick ring, tell her that you can't get hold of Danny. She's had a baby, she'll help you. At least ring her and talk to her until the ambulance arrives.'

Billie took Carly's advice and rang Jade straight away, telling her that she thought she'd gone into labour and couldn't get hold of Danny.

'Now just breathe deeply, Bill. Honestly, babe, you'll be fine. It's normally quite a long labour, your first one. Look at me, sixteen hours from when the contractions started it took me to have Terry Junior, so you've got plenty of time. Look, I'm going to call my mum and ask her to look after Terry Junior. If you can't get hold of Danny, you're going to need some support, so I'm going to drive down to you. What hospital are you going to, Harold Wood?'

'Yes,' Billie replied, feeling slightly more positive. 'I wouldn't be frightened if you were here, Jade. How long will it take you to get to me?'

'As soon as your ambulance comes, I'll drop Terry Junior at my mum's and drive straight down. If I put my foot down, I should get there in time for the birth.'

Hearing the doorbell ring, Billie thanked Jade, and let Carly and Jamie in. Her hospital bag was already packed, so the pair of them just held her hands and comforted her. The ambulance arrived a couple of minutes later. Carly accompanied Billie inside and Jamie followed in his car. Picking up his phone, Jamie flicked through his contacts and dialled Danny's number. Hearing it go straight to the answerphone, he left a message.

'Where are you, Danny? You no-good bastard. Your girlfriend's gone into labour and no one can fucking get in touch with you. We're on our way to Harold Wood, so you'd better get your arse down there as soon as. Billie's in a right old state. You really don't deserve her, do you know that, mate?'

* * *

Baby O'Leary finally entered the world at 12.33 a.m. and was delivered by Caesarean section. The doctors had felt that the baby was at risk and decided to perform the operation as quickly as possible. The procedure had been quick and efficient. Billie had started panicking at one point on hearing that the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck.

'Please, God, let my baby be OK,' she'd repeated over and over again.

The doctor had handed her a consent form, with assurance that she and her baby were in the best possible hands. The anaesthetic made her feel weird. She remembered seeing her baby for the first time, although the drugs made it seem as if she was dreaming.

Jade hadn't arrived in time for the birth, but was now holding Billie's hand while she slept. She was only a kid herself, Jade thought silently. How she was going to manage with a newborn baby, especially with her wanker of a boyfriend, was anybody's guess. Carly and Jamie had now gone home. The nurses had said that Billie needed some rest and they'd best leave her and come back tomorrow. The baby had been whisked away straight after the birth to be checked out and thankfully was in perfect health. He was now lying in a little cot with a nurse keeping a watchful eye on him.

Billie woke up a couple of hours later, and for the first few seconds didn't have a clue where she was or what had happened. Suddenly, remembering, she sat up with a jolt which alerted Jade, who'd been dozing in a chair next to her.

'Where's my baby? Where have they taken my baby?' she asked frantically.

'Ssh,' Jade replied, squeezing her hand. 'Everything's fine, Bill. You've got a little boy and he's wonderful. The nurses are keeping an eye on him.'

Ringing the buzzer to let the nurses know that Billie was awake and wanted to see her son, Jade filled Billie with reassurance. 'He was fully checked out and he's absolutely perfect. He's a big old bruiser, eight pounds twelve ounces. No wonder you was having trouble getting about towards the end, with your small frame.'

Billie took a sip of water. 'Does Danny know? Has he been up here yet? Have you rung him? I left a note for him indoors.'

'No, Bill,' Jade replied awkwardly. 'Jamie rang him and told him where you were. He obviously hasn't got the message yet. Try him again in the morning. Maybe he's lost his phone or something.'

Billie looked worried. 'I hope nothing's happened to him, Jade. I left him loads of messages. Normally, even if he's busy he always rings me back. What if something bad has happened to him?'

'Now don't be silly,' Jade said comfortingly. 'I'm sure he's fine. You know what lads are like. He's probably got drunk and crashed out round a mate's house.'

Billie temporarily forgot about Danny as her baby was wheeled into the ward and handed to her. The emotions running through her were indescribable. She had never felt so much love in all her life as she held the little bundle that had been placed in her arms. She knew within a split second that whatever happened in her life, she would never let this little chap down. Unlike her own mother, she would be there for this child through thick and thin. Both Billie and Jade cried tears of joy as mother and baby bonded immediately.

'What are you going to call him, Bill? Have you decided on a name?'

'Yes, his name's decided,' Billie said, holding him tight and unable to take her eyes off him. 'Danny Junior, we're calling him, or DJ for short.'

Jade's heart went over. She couldn't think of a worse possible start in life for the child than to be named after arsehole of the year. 'I thought you said on the phone that you wanted to name him Charlie?'

'Yes, I liked Charlie,' Billie said happily, 'but Danny insisted the baby had to be named after him. He said the firstborn son is always named after the father. If we were having a girl, he wanted to call her Danielle.'

Jade couldn't bring herself to answer. Billie looked so radiant lying there with her baby in her arms that she couldn't bring herself to dampen her spirits.

Danny O'Leary opened his eyes and wondered where the fucking hell he was. He felt like someone was banging a drum in his head and he had a mouth like a camel's arse. Sitting up, he put his head in his hands and slowly but surely started to remember the events of the previous evening.

'Morning, lover boy. How are you this morning? Sobered up yet, have we?'

Danny looked at the rough old tart lying naked next to him and felt physically sick. Now, he wasn't picky when it came to women by any shot of the imagination, but this one took the biscuit. She was that ugly that you could've paid her to haunt houses! Hoping more than anything on earth that he'd been too drunk to fuck her, Danny leapt out of bed and started rummaging around for his clothes.

At forty-one years old, with a body that had gone home years ago, Sandra Shepherd had thought she'd died and gone to heaven when she'd enticed Danny O'Leary back to her bed last night. Sandra had a front tooth missing, four children in care, and a heroin habit. Pulling blokes wasn't usually easy for her.

'You ain't got to rush off straight away, have you?' she asked, pleadingly.

'Where's the toilet?' Danny mumbled as he ran from the room and chucked his guts up. After retching over a dirty toilet, for what seemed like a lifetime, he washed his face in cold water and ventured back into the stinking bedroom to hunt for his keys and phone.

'Do you know where my motor is? Did I drive us here? What area are we in?' he blurted out, unable to remember anything.

'Your motor's outside and we're in Stratford.' Sandra felt dejected, as she could see by the look on his face that he couldn't wait to get away from her.

Finding his keys under the bed, Danny breathed a sigh of relief and lit up a fag. 'Have you got a mobile so I can ring my phone? I dunno what I've done with mine.'

'I've got no credit,' Sandra answered truthfully, hoping inwardly that the phone would turn up in her flat and she could chop it in for a bit of brown.

'See ya, then,' Danny said. Without waiting for a reply, he bolted out of the flat as fast as his legs would take him.

It took him ten minutes to locate his motor and another five to find the phone, which had somehow found its way under the driver's seat. The battery had run out so he drove towards home as fast as he could. Looking at his watch, he noticed it was 10.30 a.m. Billie was going to be well pissed off with him. He often came home late, like three and four in the morning. Billie was used to that, but coming home nigh on the next lunchtime, that was a different kettle of fish and he knew he had some explaining to do.

Sitting in the traffic in the Romford Road, Danny went over the events of the day before. He'd had to drive up to Liverpool and deliver a load of ecstasy tablets to an address, pick up six grand and come back home. One of Jimmy the Fish's employees, Leroy Jackson, had gone with him, but when they had arrived there, the deal had gone tits up.

Leroy was a big black six-footer and a proper arrogant cunt. The four geezers they'd been assigned to do business with in Scouseland were out-and-out scallies and the deal had ended in an argument and punch-up. Leroy had stuck a knife in one of the gang and they'd had to run for their lives whilst being chased by the other three. Luckily, although no deal had been completed, they'd managed to snatch the tablets and make it back to the car, where they'd shot off at top speed. After relaying the story on the drive home, Jimmy the Fish had suggested they give Dagenham a wide berth. He insisted they head to Hackney and he arranged to meet them in Leroy's local.

Leroy was a Hackney boy through and through. He was well liked, had numerous friends and was well respected. He also knew that if the geezer he'd knifed took a turn for the worse and he needed an alibi, that Hackney was the place to be. Today's events had been an eye-opener for Danny. It had been his first taste of aggro in his newly found career and truth be known, he'd absolutely loved it. The adrenalin was something else: he was a face now, mixing with the big boys and loving every bloody minute of it.

Jimmy the Fish had turned up in the boozer in Hackney early evening and made a proper fuss of him and Leroy. He was absolutely overjoyed that they'd managed to snatch the tablets back on their way out. Jimmy could suffer most things, but being turned over and losing gear wasn't one of them.

'You're two top fucking boys, you are,' he said, whilst cracking open a bottle of bubbly. 'I knew you wouldn't let me down.'

Six pubs and a lap-dancing club later, Danny was wasted. Jimmy had insisted on footing the bill and had supplied endless top-quality champagne. How Danny had ended up with a bird as ugly as Sandra Shepherd was beyond belief. He'd shagged some mingers in his time, but the monster he'd woken up with this morning had to be the worst one ever. He just hoped to God he hadn't caught anything off her. Billie would chop his bollocks off if he passed anything on to her.

Letting himself into his flat, he was prepared for an ear-bashing. He had worked out a story on the way home to get himself out of the shit and was ready to spill his lies. Calling out for Billie and getting no answer was a shock to him. Seeing the note she'd left him on the table was an even bigger one.

'Dan, I've gone into labour, called an ambulance, please come quickly. Love you. Billie,' was the brief message.

'Fuck,' Danny said out loud. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck.' Sprinting out of the flat, he jumped into his motor and headed towards the hospital at top speed. After having a go at the backward girl on reception, Danny legged it down the corridor to the side room that Billie was in. He was all ready to run in full of excuses and apologies, but the sight of Billie lying there, holding their son, took his breath away. All he could manage was, 'I'm so sorry, Billie. I'll make it up to you, I promise. It was a work thing, you know how it is.'

Billie smiled. She couldn't be angry with him, not after giving birth to the most beautiful little boy in the whole wide world. Whatever anger she'd felt earlier had vanished. 'Don't worry, Danny. Come over here and hold your son. Danny Junior, meet your daddy.'

Jade watched the scene of happy families unfolding in front of her eyes and felt physically sick. She could smell booze seeping out of Danny's pores. Work, my arse, she thought to herself. 'I'm going to get a coffee, Bill,' she said, unable to be in the same room as Danny a minute longer.

'What the fuck's she doing here?' Danny asked arrogantly, the moment the door was closed.

For once, Billie was annoyed with him. 'Look, Danny, I couldn't get hold of you. I was frightened and I panicked. I just didn't know what to do for the best. Jade was the only person that I could call on to help and she's driven all the way from Somerset to be here for me. So please be nice to her, even if it's only for my sake.'

Holding his son, Danny looked at him adoringly. He'd prayed for a boy and was so happy his prayers had been answered. Not wanting to upset the apple cart, he decided to be diplomatic. 'All right, you win. I'll be nice to her. I'll have a little chat with her and sort things out.'

'Thanks, Danny,' Billie said gratefully.

Jade had a sandwich and a coffee and decided to bid farewell to Billie and drive back home. She would have stayed longer if need be, but now Danny had turned up she knew she'd only be in the way. 'I'd better be going now, Bill. I've got such a long drive,' she said, kissing her friend on the cheek.

'Oh, stay a bit longer, Jade. I haven't seen you for ages and I've missed you. Please stay a while. We haven't even had a proper chat yet, plus I need all the tips on newborn babies that I can get.'

'I'd love to, Bill, but I promised my mum that I'd be back today to pick up Terry Junior. She's got a hospital appointment tomorrow morning and my dad can't look after him on his own,' Jade lied.

'I'll walk you to your car,' Danny said, with a cocky looking smirk.

Jade put on the best false smile she could muster. 'Honestly, there's no need, Danny. My car's nearby. I'll be fine. You stay here with Billie Jo.'

Danny stood up and opened the door. 'I'm not taking no for an answer. I insist on seeing you safely to your car. Who knows what can happen to a pretty woman walking about on her own in this neck of the woods?'

Jade felt unnerved by his comments and the sarcastic way he'd said them, but tried to stay calm. Once out of the building, Danny grabbed her tightly by the arm.

'Right, me and you need to have a little chat I think, don't you?' Without giving her time to answer, he carried on ranting. 'Billie wants us all to be best buddies and live happily ever after, but me and you know that ain't gonna happen, don't we?'

Jade suddenly found an inner strength. 'Let me say something to you, Danny. I don't know where you were last night and I don't really care. You smell like a brewery, so I don't believe you were working, not unless you've got a new job in a pub. But I'll tell you something, and I really mean this. If you hurt that girl or that baby, I swear you'll have me to deal with.'

Danny went into a fit of laughter that lasted only seconds. Furious, he grabbed Jade's head and smashed it against the nearest wall. Putting his hands tightly around her throat, Danny moved his face an inch away from hers. 'Now let me tell you something, bitch. If you try and come between me and Billie, I swear I'll have ya. I'm no fucking mug, you know, and I know a lot of handy people. I swear if you ever try to cross me and turn Billie and my baby against me, you might just find some nasty person at your door one night. I can easily send someone down to your quiet Somerset village. It takes seconds to light a fire. You and your brat of a kid will be burnt to cinders within no time. Do you understand what I'm saying to you, Jade?'

Jade stood rooted to the spot, nodding dumbly. Danny had frightened the life out of her. She could smell the stench of beer on his breath and his eyes were like those of a madman. 'I understand,' she managed to mutter. 'Just let me go and I promise you I won't contact Billie any more.'

'Good,' Danny said, loosening his grip on her neck. 'I'm glad we understand one another.'

Once back in the ward, Danny sat there holding Billie's hand. 'Did you have a chat with Jade?' Billie asked him affectionately.

'Yep,' Danny smiled. 'All sorted, babes. She said she'll ring you soon.'

Jade was still shaking as she hit the motorway. Her head was throbbing where nutty boy had rammed it against the wall and she now had a migraine from hell. The threat of being burnt alive with her baby was the final straw. She wasn't going to contact Billie any more. She couldn't. She had to put her own safety and that of her family first. She would have given anything for Terry to still be alive, to sort this mess out. She even toyed with the idea of ringing Davey Mullins and asking for his help, but decided against it. She couldn't risk it going pear-shaped, just in case it infuriated Danny even more. Pulling onto the hard shoulder, Jade broke down and cried. Her neck felt really sore. Adjusting the front mirror, she could see the redness around it, where he'd nearly strangled her. She'd thought Danny O'Leary was just a cocky little wide-boy when she'd first met him, but she'd seen another side of him tonight that made her skin crawl. Jade feared for the safety of Billie Jo and the poor baby that had the misfortune of sharing his name.

He wasn't just a flash little sod. The bloke was dangerous. A complete fucking lunatic of the very worst kind.