Sequel: Hope

Purple Hearts

Surprise

Charlie let himself into the house. He’d met a couple of people that evening who were quite interested in him joining their magazine, taking pictures of local bands and occasionally the odd bigger star. He was very interested and told them he’d meet up with them the next day.

He hadn’t wanted to come home this early, 10pm. He felt tired but the real reason was because he knew Tre and Adrienne would be here as he was cooking a meal for her and he didn’t want them to see him. His plan was to let himself in quietly and then sneak up to his room. They wouldn’t even know he was there.

But as he let himself in he heard Tre call out from the Living room.

“Is that you Charlie?” he said.

”Yes it is, sorry I came back early and disturbed your evening,” he said taking his shoes off at the door and wondering what the hell he had disturbed.

“Its OK. Adrienne’s not here, she called up and said she’d been throwing up and that it would be best not to come over and that she felt so ill she was going to go to bed.”

“Oh, poor Adrienne,” said Charlie.

“Yeah, I’ve frozen the casserole I made for another time,” said Tre who had his feet up on the coffee table and was watching some late night chat show.

”You off to bed?” said Tre not even looking up and reaching for his beer.

“No. I just popped home for something,” said Charlie. “I met some people this evening who are interested in my work, I’m came back to get my portfolio.”

“Oh right,” said Tre who didn’t really seem that interested. “Good luck.” He said glancing over finally.

”Thanks,” said Charlie who wasn’t going back to meet these friends at all. He’d decided to head over to Adrienne’s house and see how she was. He needed to see that she was OK.

**

She took ages to come to the door and then felt stupid for coming. If she was sick she wouldn’t want to be disturbed. He was just about to walk away when he saw her appearing behind the glass door.

She looked awful, really pale and drawn. She had her robe wrapped around her and she was hunched over as if in slight pain.

“Charlie!” she said sounding surprised. Of course she would be, there was no way that she would have thought he would come and pay her a visit.

“Hi, look Tre mentioned that you were ill and I just thought I’d check on you as I was passing, see if you wanted anything.”

“Come in, I feel dreadful, it just came upon me suddenly.” She said climbing the stairs up to her bedroom.

“Come up Charlie, come and sit with me if you like though I’m not much company at the moment.”

But Charlie didn’t care and he thought she still looked beautiful. He watched her as she got into a huge bed, sighing then the next minute she was up and heading off to the en-suite bathroom where she began throwing up. Going over to her he held back her long dark hair to make it easier for her and started rubbing at her back.

After she got into bed he fetched her a glass of water which she took a small sip of then he went and sat in an armchair for the rest of the night, watching her throw up two or three more times and making sure she drank more water.

When the sun came up she was resting peacefully and it looked as if she was over the worst.

Charlie quietly slipped out of the house.

**

I woke up and reached over for the journal. I hadn’t read this since I was in England and I’d read the section where my mother wanted Tre to come back to her and to share the time together with their baby but he didn’t, he didn’t come back and she didn’t see him for another 13 years.

Flicking through the pages I found the next part of my mum’s journal.

No one knows that I am pregnant yet; I think I will have to tell Jen about it but I think she’s probably guessed, as my boobs are huge. I wonder if I’m having a little girl or a little boy and will they take after their handsome father. I hope so. I went into a record shop the other day and I saw them and decided once again to try and contact Tre but it just wasn’t happening. I got through to their record label and I told them that I was Tre’s girlfriend in England and was having his baby. They didn’t believe me and who could blame them. I’ll just have to hope and pray that he comes back to me and we can be a family.

How sad I thought. How sad that they didn’t believe mum but of course she could have been anyone calling up the record company. She needs to tell Aunt Jen, she shouldn’t be going through it alone she thought. Just like me. I need to tell someone.

But who? I wasn’t ready to tell Gerard yet but I needed to tell someone. Reaching for the telephone I called up the doctor’s surgery to see if I could get an appointment for this morning. I knew that Julia and Emily were arriving tomorrow and they would take my mind off of everything for a bit.

When would my baby show? I wasn’t sure, I’d have to go and buy a book from a bookshop and read up on it.

“Franky?” said Dad from outside the door.

I put the journal down and went to open the door.

“Hi Dad, did you have a good evening with Adrienne? She didn’t stay long; the house was in darkness when I got back.”

“She called up and said she was feeling unwell, we’re going to do it this evening, that’s if she’s better. I’m going now to get Ramona and Frankito, I don’t know what time I’ll be back, may be late afternoon, Grandma’s bound to cook a huge lunch, you know what she’s like.”

“Grandma loves feeding you up, she thinks I don’t look after you.” I said going over to the dressing table to put on some make up.

“You don’t. When was the last time you cooked?” Dad said. I could see his face in the mirror, smiling at me.

“OK, point taken, you know I hate cooking.” I said reaching for some eyeliner.

”Yeah and don’t I know it,” said Dad. “What you up to today?” he said.

“Not much, I thought I’d clear my room out a bit, may be call up Adrienne and I’ll probably get the guys over for band practice. Did you hear the news about Hannah?” I said turning around to speak to him.

“What’s that honey?” said Dad as he walked out the door then turned to come back in again.

“Hannah, she’s pregnant,” I said dying to see his reaction.

“Hannah is? She’s so young.” Said Dad.

“Yes, her and Ed have been seeing each other for a while. It was all quite sudden.”

“You know I always thought the guy had a thing for Hannah.” Said Dad.

“Yeah, they’re good together,” I said noticing there was no reaction in her father’s face whatsoever, did he not even think for one moment that Hannah’s baby could have been his? He had slept with her after all. It was as though he’d blocked his time with Hannah out of his mind.

Oh Dad.

“Right, I’d finally better get off,” Dad said.

“OK, see you later, I hope Adrienne is OK for this evening,” I shouted out to him, turning back to the dressing table.

“I do too. There’s something I need her to do for me.” Said Dad, still standing there in the doorway.

“Franky?” Said Dad in a quieter voice.

“Yes?” I said looking in the mirror while applying some mascara.

“Are you… are you OK?”

I hesitated slightly as I put the lid on mascara.

“Yes Dad, why did you ask?”

“No reason. See you tonight.” Then he winked at me and disappeared from the doorway.

**

“When was your last period?” the doctor asked me.

“I can’t remember,” I replied. “Well you’re definitely pregnant Francesca and it looks as though you may be about 8 weeks pregnant.”

“Um… that’s impossible,” I lied. “This happened about four weeks ago.”

“OK but it looks like you’re having quite a large baby then, according to the scan picture,” she said.

I couldn’t answer her and I hated it here. I hated it here because it reminded me of when my mum was ill and we had to come here to collect prescriptions and for her to have blood tests.

The smell of the place reminded me of that.

“I hear you’re getting married,” said the Doctor.

“Yes, but we haven’t set a date.” I said.

“Your father seems very proud, I saw it in the newspaper. How is he?” She said looking at me with her owl-type glasses.

“He’s well thanks, he’s doing…OK.”

“Keeping busy I hope. Everyone is looking forward to a new album coming out, me included. I’ve always been a fan you know,” she said peering over her glasses at me.

“Yes, I remember you mentioning it before,” I said.

It was going to have to come out sooner or later; there will be no album.

**

Back home I decided to clear out some stuff from my room then I remembered the gun at the bottom of the wardrobe. I was going to have to get rid of it but I just didn’t know where.

Then I heard a sound. It sounded like a phone ringing then I realised it was Dads phone and it was coming from his bedroom, he’d left it here.

I ignored it but when it rang immediately again I went to find it in case it was something important.

It was on his bedside table. Picking it up I noticed the caller ID. GD1 was what it said.

“Hello,” I said into the phone. I could hear the breath of a sound but then nothing. They’d put the phone down on me. Whoever GD1 was didn’t want to speak to me. This must have been the person that Dad spoke to often and caused him to smile widely.

GD1 who the fuck was it?

**

“Hannah are you able to come over for a practice this afternoon?” I said to her into the phone about an hour later.

“Actually Franky, Ed and I are going out to lunch together, it’s a special treat. We had a heart to heart and everything is going to be fine. We’re both scared and nervous but we’ve cleared the air and he’s going to stand by me. For a moment Franky I had this feeling that Ed would leave me.”

“Why Hannah? He’d never leave you; Ed loves you, its so obvious.”

“I know but… it’s hard to explain. Look, Ed’s calling me; he’s out by the car waiting for me. Call you later?”

“Of course. Enjoy your lunch.”

”I will.” She said then was gone.

I put down the phone and opened my bag that held my medical card. My next appointment at the doctors was in four weeks time. I shoved the card right down into the bottom of my bag so nobody could see it.

There was a knock at the door and Charlie poked his head round.

“You OK?” He said.

“I’m good, but you look exhausted,” I said noticing how tired his eyes looked.

“I am… listen I spent the night at Adrienne’s place.” He said.

“What? But she told Dad she was ill,” I said questioningly.

“Yes, your Dad told me she’d cancelled their evening. I was concerned for her so called round, I ended up staying there, just making sure she was OK.”

“And is she?” I said.

“Yes, I’ve just called her up. I’m calling round to see her, it must have been something she’d eaten.”

“Give her my love, I may see her later as she might be coming round here for the rescheduling of Dad’s meal.”

“Yes I’ll give her your love.” Said Charlie.

“Hey and don’t go giving her any of your love, you might scare the woman.” I said smiling up at him.

“Oh shut up.” Said Charlie.

“Charlie I went to the doctors this morning,” I blurted out suddenly. “About the baby.”

“Good,” he said nodding his head, “and is everything OK?”

“Everything is fine.”

“Good,” he said again, not really knowing what to say next.

“I shall start telling everyone soon.”

“I’m glad you’ve seen sense, you can’t keep it hidden for ever. When are you going to tell Gerard?”

“When I’m ready,” I said. “I don’t want to talk about this any more.”

“Fair enough, but you know how I feel about it.”

“I know. When will you be back?”

“Well after Adrienne’s I’m meeting up with some friends, they’re interested in my work.”

“Oh good for you Charlie. Good luck.”

“Thanks Franky. You did the right think you know,” he said then was gone, running down the stairs and out the door.

The house was silent and I didn’t know what to do. Then I could hear it again, Dads phone ringing. I went to it once more, sighing but this time the caller ID said GD2 and it stopped as I got to it. GD2?

What the fuck was going on?

**

After I’d cleared away my lunch dishes I let Milton out into the garden and then decided to head down to the basement, I had a few ideas for a song and thought that I needed to get writing my thoughts down immediately, I didn’t want to forget the lines I’d just thought of.

I went down to the basement, put some music on the CD player then headed over to the table where I began writing and the time just flew by as I scribbled away.

Yawning I checked my watch and decided that I’d just finish a few more lines and then I would call it a day. Dad must be due back soon and he would probably want to get everything read for his meal with Adie. I smiled to myself as I stretched, picked up my pen and wrote down a couple of words that came to my mind.

Hearing the front door slam I shouted out. “I’m just finishing up down here Dad, be up in a minute.” I said then started chewing on the end of the pencil. He didn’t answer, perhaps he hadn’t heard me. Well he’ll probably guess I’m down here anyway seeing as I had music playing.

I could hear some footsteps coming down the stairs but was engrossed in my writing so didn’t look up. Suddenly I stopped, sensing someone was behind me and I just knew it was him. I could smell him, his after-shave, leather jacket and gum, it was definitely Billie. I could feel his eyes boring into my back.

Billie was back and he was standing right behind me.