Smoke
Ten
George walked briskly in to the watch room, closing the door behind him and peering over his shoulders, Bayleaf looked him up and down, he had carried his secret long enough he had to tell someone,
“You alright mate?”
“I need to make sure Kevin aint about”
“Nah he’s asleep, what’s up?”
He crouched next to the chair
“Here, Scarlett had the baby this morning”
Bayleafs eyes widened. He sat straight putting the paper he was reading down, he looked at George,
“How do you bloody know?”
He demanded panicking a little,
“I see her a few weeks back gave her my number told her to keep in touch, Kevin aint done anything for her or the baby, she’s done it all herself apart from the pushchair, even gave birth by herself”
“Blimey! Someone needs to have a word with young Kevin, that’s bloody awful! I thought he loved her the way he moped around this place like a puppy when she left” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, trying to keep his temper “Here does she need a lift back from the hospital?”
Kevin pulled up, pulling his bag from the boot and slamming it closed, he sauntered towards the station making his way to the mess room, he sat quietly,
“Hows Marnie kev?”
Bayleaf asked, he shrugged in response,
“Dunno, not seen her”
Bayleaf felt his blood boil, he wanted to grab the boy and shake him by the shoulders, he was well aware that Scarlett wasn’t innocent but she had owned up to her mistakes and would be carrying the weight of them for the rest of her life, he didn’t understand why Kevin had the choice,
“Right, just wondered”
“Well don’t you’ll only be bloody reporting me to Scarlett” he said the name as though it left a bad taste in his mouth “I’m going to bed”
He snapped,
“Night then mate”
Bayleaf responded trying to sound cheery, smirking to himself, he paced around for a while making sure Kevin was definitely asleep, he waved out of the mess room window and smiled to himself as they came in to view.
She walked up the stairs silently, George in front of her, her daughter in her carseat swaddled in pink blankets, Bayleaf grinned as they walked in to the kitchen,
“Oh, look at her, little love, she’s the bloody image of you” he squeezed Scarlett’s shoulder “Right are we doing this or not? You sure this is what you want Dolly?” he cupped the baby’s face beaming at her “Bloody gorgeous you did there well love, shame she came from Kevin!”
She smiled and nodded,
“And there’s no attachment to Marnie at all?”
George double checked,
“Nope she moved out a few weeks back apparently”
“Look Dolly if you don’t want to do this we’ll understand, you’ve been through a lot with him”
George stated
“And without” Bayleaf sneered “I don’t understand how someone would walk away from their pregnant girlfriend and miss the entire thing because of a poxy row!”
“That’s just it Bayleaf it was a poxy row!” Scarlett looked at him with pleading eyes “She needs to know her dad, she has every bloody right to know him as well! Regardless of my feelings on him, I never had my dad because of the fucking drink, he never had his cause he was always in and out of the nick, I don’t’ want that for her” she began to well up, her voice becoming thick Bayleaf placed an arm over her shoulder “The pregnancy and the bloody labour was easy but this bit I can’t do alone, the poor little mite hasn’t even got a name yet! I need Kevin!”
She swallowed the words hard, after everything she had been through the past year she never thought she’d want him let alone need him, she bought everything for the baby, she gave birth with just the midwife at her side and she had done every dirty nappy and every midnight feed alone, but now she was starting to crumble, as sleep deprivation had set in she found herself lonely and on edge, barely leaving the flat unless she had need to, but as the realisation set in that she hadn’t even provided her daughter with a name she sunk lower. She took a deep breath swallowing the tears, George placed a hand on her shoulder,
“go on doll, when you’re ready”
“And you’re okay watching her? She’s not due a feed for a few hours but if she wakes up I’ll-“
“Stay in there until you’ve sorted things, I’ve got a sprout of my own you know! And with uncle Bayleaf here we’ll be fine”
She smiled
“I’ve never left her with anyone before”
“You’ll be in the next room she’ll be fine”
She walked in to the sleeping quarters, she moved slowly through the dark, keeping her steps slow and quiet, she crouched next to his bed, fixing her eyes on him, he was almost angelic, she reached up and switched the lamp on, his face twitched,
“Kevin?” she nudged him gently, he groaned, rolling her eyes she nudged him again “We need to talk”
He woke up, his head swimming and eyes blurred, he smiled reaching a hand out, brushing his finger tips along her jaw, She pulled her face away, irritation bubbling in her stomach,
“I can’t believe you’re here”
“Me neither!” She sighed standing back to her feet, “Are we going to talk about this or not?”
He sat up, stretching himself out,
“Can I have a cuppa first? And a smoke?”
“No Kev and do you know why?” she sat on the foot of the bed locking eyes with him “I’ve been alone for the past 14 months, well I can’t say I’ve been alone exactly, our daughter has kept me company”
His eyes widened
“You’ve had the baby then?”
“Yeah two months ago, you’d know that had you not been too…busy? Shall we say?”
“I’ve been working!” He snapped “I’ve spent every waking hour trying to keep myself busy, so I wasn’t haunted by you! So that I didn’t end up driving myself up the bloody wall with panic!”
“What have you had to panic about Kevin? If Marnie is coming back?”
She cocked her head folding her arms, he froze,
“Who told you?”
She stood up,
“Is that what it takes to get a response? Bring your bloody ex in to things?” her heart began to pound as she felt her blood run warm, she clenched her fists, “I had your child Kevin, by my bloody self, because you were too busy drinking and bed hoping to care! You know where I live Kevin! You could have come over, you could have made some bloody effort!”
He stood from the bed, charging towards her grabbing her by the arms, she pushed against him,
“Who told you?!”
He began to shout,
“It doesn’t matter!” she shouted back her voice breaking, she shoved him backwards, “It doesn’t matter, none of this matters, you’ve just proved that! You Kevin Medhurst are just like your father!”
She spat walking away, she walked back in to the mess room, picking up the changing bag and car seat,
“Dolly? Everything alright?”
George asked
“Yeah, smashing” she said her voice still quivering “Thanks for having her, I’ll see you about”
She strapped the car seat in to the back, touching her daughters face,
“Just me and you baby, we’ll be okay”
She climbed in to the front locking her door, she put her head in her hands and broke, tears flowing thick and fast she heaved sob after heavy sob, unable to take consolation even in the fact that she tried.
He dashed past the mess room, George called after him,
“Here, Kev are you taking the piss?!”
He demanded as he ran past
“Leave it out George”
He called back, he ran in to the car park, gleaming in the corner was Scarlett sat in a car, relief swept his body, he rushed towards it, knocking frantically on the window, she looked up and wound down her window,
“what?”
Lost for words he noticed the car seat in the back,
“Can I see her?”
He asked quietly,
“Get in”
“You alright mate?”
“I need to make sure Kevin aint about”
“Nah he’s asleep, what’s up?”
He crouched next to the chair
“Here, Scarlett had the baby this morning”
Bayleafs eyes widened. He sat straight putting the paper he was reading down, he looked at George,
“How do you bloody know?”
He demanded panicking a little,
“I see her a few weeks back gave her my number told her to keep in touch, Kevin aint done anything for her or the baby, she’s done it all herself apart from the pushchair, even gave birth by herself”
“Blimey! Someone needs to have a word with young Kevin, that’s bloody awful! I thought he loved her the way he moped around this place like a puppy when she left” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, trying to keep his temper “Here does she need a lift back from the hospital?”
Kevin pulled up, pulling his bag from the boot and slamming it closed, he sauntered towards the station making his way to the mess room, he sat quietly,
“Hows Marnie kev?”
Bayleaf asked, he shrugged in response,
“Dunno, not seen her”
Bayleaf felt his blood boil, he wanted to grab the boy and shake him by the shoulders, he was well aware that Scarlett wasn’t innocent but she had owned up to her mistakes and would be carrying the weight of them for the rest of her life, he didn’t understand why Kevin had the choice,
“Right, just wondered”
“Well don’t you’ll only be bloody reporting me to Scarlett” he said the name as though it left a bad taste in his mouth “I’m going to bed”
He snapped,
“Night then mate”
Bayleaf responded trying to sound cheery, smirking to himself, he paced around for a while making sure Kevin was definitely asleep, he waved out of the mess room window and smiled to himself as they came in to view.
She walked up the stairs silently, George in front of her, her daughter in her carseat swaddled in pink blankets, Bayleaf grinned as they walked in to the kitchen,
“Oh, look at her, little love, she’s the bloody image of you” he squeezed Scarlett’s shoulder “Right are we doing this or not? You sure this is what you want Dolly?” he cupped the baby’s face beaming at her “Bloody gorgeous you did there well love, shame she came from Kevin!”
She smiled and nodded,
“And there’s no attachment to Marnie at all?”
George double checked,
“Nope she moved out a few weeks back apparently”
“Look Dolly if you don’t want to do this we’ll understand, you’ve been through a lot with him”
George stated
“And without” Bayleaf sneered “I don’t understand how someone would walk away from their pregnant girlfriend and miss the entire thing because of a poxy row!”
“That’s just it Bayleaf it was a poxy row!” Scarlett looked at him with pleading eyes “She needs to know her dad, she has every bloody right to know him as well! Regardless of my feelings on him, I never had my dad because of the fucking drink, he never had his cause he was always in and out of the nick, I don’t’ want that for her” she began to well up, her voice becoming thick Bayleaf placed an arm over her shoulder “The pregnancy and the bloody labour was easy but this bit I can’t do alone, the poor little mite hasn’t even got a name yet! I need Kevin!”
She swallowed the words hard, after everything she had been through the past year she never thought she’d want him let alone need him, she bought everything for the baby, she gave birth with just the midwife at her side and she had done every dirty nappy and every midnight feed alone, but now she was starting to crumble, as sleep deprivation had set in she found herself lonely and on edge, barely leaving the flat unless she had need to, but as the realisation set in that she hadn’t even provided her daughter with a name she sunk lower. She took a deep breath swallowing the tears, George placed a hand on her shoulder,
“go on doll, when you’re ready”
“And you’re okay watching her? She’s not due a feed for a few hours but if she wakes up I’ll-“
“Stay in there until you’ve sorted things, I’ve got a sprout of my own you know! And with uncle Bayleaf here we’ll be fine”
She smiled
“I’ve never left her with anyone before”
“You’ll be in the next room she’ll be fine”
She walked in to the sleeping quarters, she moved slowly through the dark, keeping her steps slow and quiet, she crouched next to his bed, fixing her eyes on him, he was almost angelic, she reached up and switched the lamp on, his face twitched,
“Kevin?” she nudged him gently, he groaned, rolling her eyes she nudged him again “We need to talk”
He woke up, his head swimming and eyes blurred, he smiled reaching a hand out, brushing his finger tips along her jaw, She pulled her face away, irritation bubbling in her stomach,
“I can’t believe you’re here”
“Me neither!” She sighed standing back to her feet, “Are we going to talk about this or not?”
He sat up, stretching himself out,
“Can I have a cuppa first? And a smoke?”
“No Kev and do you know why?” she sat on the foot of the bed locking eyes with him “I’ve been alone for the past 14 months, well I can’t say I’ve been alone exactly, our daughter has kept me company”
His eyes widened
“You’ve had the baby then?”
“Yeah two months ago, you’d know that had you not been too…busy? Shall we say?”
“I’ve been working!” He snapped “I’ve spent every waking hour trying to keep myself busy, so I wasn’t haunted by you! So that I didn’t end up driving myself up the bloody wall with panic!”
“What have you had to panic about Kevin? If Marnie is coming back?”
She cocked her head folding her arms, he froze,
“Who told you?”
She stood up,
“Is that what it takes to get a response? Bring your bloody ex in to things?” her heart began to pound as she felt her blood run warm, she clenched her fists, “I had your child Kevin, by my bloody self, because you were too busy drinking and bed hoping to care! You know where I live Kevin! You could have come over, you could have made some bloody effort!”
He stood from the bed, charging towards her grabbing her by the arms, she pushed against him,
“Who told you?!”
He began to shout,
“It doesn’t matter!” she shouted back her voice breaking, she shoved him backwards, “It doesn’t matter, none of this matters, you’ve just proved that! You Kevin Medhurst are just like your father!”
She spat walking away, she walked back in to the mess room, picking up the changing bag and car seat,
“Dolly? Everything alright?”
George asked
“Yeah, smashing” she said her voice still quivering “Thanks for having her, I’ll see you about”
She strapped the car seat in to the back, touching her daughters face,
“Just me and you baby, we’ll be okay”
She climbed in to the front locking her door, she put her head in her hands and broke, tears flowing thick and fast she heaved sob after heavy sob, unable to take consolation even in the fact that she tried.
He dashed past the mess room, George called after him,
“Here, Kev are you taking the piss?!”
He demanded as he ran past
“Leave it out George”
He called back, he ran in to the car park, gleaming in the corner was Scarlett sat in a car, relief swept his body, he rushed towards it, knocking frantically on the window, she looked up and wound down her window,
“what?”
Lost for words he noticed the car seat in the back,
“Can I see her?”
He asked quietly,
“Get in”