to launch into an anecdote, Queenie was stopped by the return of the young nurse who had gone off hours ago to find out how Colleen was. ‘Where is she? Is she OK?’ Queenie asked, anxiously.
‘Colleen is fine. She is resting at the moment, but we have decided to keep her in overnight just to keep an eye on her.’
‘Why? What’s a matter with her?’ Vivian asked sharply.
The nurse smiled. ‘You’ll have to ask Colleen that yourself.’
Queenie leapt out of her seat and pointed her finger in the young nurse’s face. ‘Don’t be playing games with me, darling, ’cause I’ll wipe that smile off your face in a minute. My sister just asked you a question. Now fucking answer her.’
The nurse took a step back. ‘Colleen’s pregnant, but don’t say I told you so in case you get me into trouble.’
Overjoyed by the unexpected news, Queenie hugged the terrified young nurse. ‘We won’t say a word, will we, Vivvy? Thank you so much for telling us, sweetheart.’
‘It’s a miracle, Queen. It really is,’ Vivian said, wiping a tear of joy from her eye.
Queenie couldn’t agree more. ‘It’s a gift from him upstairs, it has to be.’
‘Who’s him upstairs then?’ Lenny asked, perplexed.
Vivian tutted. ‘God, you silly bastard.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The following morning Michael got up early and once again pleaded with Nancy to take the day off work so she could accompany him to Ipswich with his father.
‘No, Michael. I can’t just take time off like that. It isn’t fair on the other girls.’
‘But, we could have stayed in a hotel or bed and breakfast. I mean, how nice would it be to have a night on our own together? We haven’t even had sex since you moved in here, because you think everybody will hear us.’
Nancy sighed. It was so difficult to snuggle up to Michael every night and not be intimate, but she was an old-fashioned girl at heart. Michael’s sister had the bedroom next door to them and his mother was the other side. The thought of anybody hearing them make love seemed deeply wrong to Nancy, which is why she had insisted that Michael sleep with his back towards her.
‘Please do this for me, babe. I really want you to get to know my dad better as well,’ Michael said, with a sorrowful expression.
Torn between her job and her loyalties towards her boyfriend, Nancy made her decision. ‘OK, Michael, I will come to Ipswich with you. But, after today I can’t take any more time off in case I get the sack, all right?’
Pleased that he had got his own way, Michael grinned and hugged Nancy tightly to his chest. ‘Thanks, darling. You’re a star.’
When his dad turned up at the hospital, Little Vinny galloped towards him. ‘Where you been, Daddy?’
Queenie glared at her eldest son. ‘Yeah, where have you been? Call yourself a good father. You don’t know the meaning, boy. And what about your brother? You ain’t even visited him for days. Colleen’s pregnant and we haven’t even been able to tell you because you’ve been on the missing list.’
‘Pregnant! That’s amazing! Michael never said when he popped in the club.’
‘That’s because we didn’t find out until after Michael had left the hospital yesterday. Unlike yourself, that boy has been up here every day supporting us and Roy.’
Ordering Lenny to take his son outside, Vinny turned to his mum and aunt. ‘I haven’t been up here because I felt so fucking guilty if you want the absolute truth. I know deep down that my brother took a bullet that was meant for me which is why I went on a bit of a bender. But I’ve got my act together again now and there’ll be no more pissing it up, I’m gonna re-open the club, and I promise you faithfully whatever happens to Roy from now on, I will be there for him and for you.’
Queenie smiled. ‘That’s my boy.’
After picking Albie Butler up from the Royal Oak pub, the journey to Ipswich took over three hours as Michael insisted on stopping for a bite to eat on the way. Out of politeness, Nancy sat in the back of the car. Her dad had always insisted that men should sit in the front.
Flicking through the latest copy of Jackie magazine, Nancy hummed along to her current favourite chart song, Diana Ross’s ‘I’m Still Waiting’, which reminded her a bit of her relationship with Michael because it was about a couple who had first met at a young age.
‘You all right in the back there, babe? We’re in Ipswich now. What do you think of it?’
Nancy put down her magazine and stared out of the car window. The hippy look was all the rage where she lived, but she couldn’t see anybody in Ipswich sporting a cool hairstyle, or wearing flares. ‘It’s nice, but in a different way.’
Michael chuckled.
‘So, what do you think of my choice of woman, Dad? Do you reckon that she will one day make me a good wife?’
Sensing Nancy’s embarrassment, Albie turned around in his seat. ‘Don’t you be taking no notice of him, sweetheart. Has the gift of the gab like his old dad, he does. If you want my honest opinion, I think you are far too good for him.’
Nancy giggled. Even though it was plain that Michael’s father looked a bit dishevelled and was a heavy drinker, she couldn’t help but like him.
Denise Thompson felt like an idiot as she sat opposite her doctor and explained why she needed a letter as proof of her pregnancy.
‘What are you trying to tell me? Are you not in a relationship with the father of your child, then?’ Dr Patak asked in a bemused tone.
‘No, he has a new girlfriend now. But, he does have good morals, and I know as soon as I can prove to him that I am pregnant, he will be there for me and my child. I want you to address the letter to him and put your surgery number on it, so he can ring you if he doesn’t believe the story. I will deliver the letter to him personally.’
Dr Patak sighed. Writing letters to disbelieving boyfriends was really not part of his work as a GP. ‘You will have to pay for the letter,’ he informed Denise.
‘How much?’
‘Two pounds. Is that OK?’
‘Well, I suppose it will have to be. Can you write it now for me?’ Denise asked, impatiently.
‘No. I have a surgery full of unwell patients who need my time. Pop back tomorrow when surgery has finished and I will have it ready for you then.’
When Vinny took her to one side and told her he was arranging a surprise gathering at the club for Vivian’s birthday, Queenie was immediately against the idea. ‘Don’t be daft. We can’t have a party while poor Roy is in a coma and I never want to set foot in that club again.’
‘I didn’t say a party, Mum. It will be more of a family
