Seeing James walking towards them, Tommy slyly pinched her arse. ‘Of course we can, Maria.’
Debating whether to feign a migraine and ask James to take her home, Maria was stopped in her tracks by the commotion at the table. ‘Whatever’s goin’ on?’
James shrugged, ‘I dunno.’
Unable to help herself, Susan let out a scream. This was more than just the baby fucking kicking. ‘Mum, help. I think me appendix has burst or something.’
Kevin was standing over the other side of the pub with his mates. Seeing his Susan in distress, he darted towards her.
‘Are you OK? What’s wrong with you? It’s not the baby, is it?’
Gasping for breath, Susan lay on the seat. She felt like something out of a freak show as everyone stood gawping at her, but she was in so much pain, she didn’t care.
Glad looked at Ethel and nudged her. Ethel nodded. They might have spent most of their life aborting babies, but they were the only two to notice when one was on its way. Ethel was the first to pipe up. ‘Move back, she’s in bleedin’ labour – her waters have broken.’
Kevin was hysterical. The baby wasn’t even due yet. ‘Don’t just stand there! Ring a fuckin’ ambulance!’ he yelled at the barmaid.
The ambulance arrived within minutes.
Aware of the paramedics getting the hump with Kevin’s behaviour, Maureen took him to one side.
‘Me and Ethel’ll go with her in the ambulance. You follow in a cab and for fuck’s sake, calm yourself down. They’ll chuck you out of the hospital if you behave like that, yer know.’
Kevin was desperate to be a daddy, but he had a terrible phobia of pain, blood and everything else that went with it. He was one of the old school, and believed men shouldn’t be involved with those things. Looking up Susan’s fanny was certainly not on his ‘must do’ list, and seeing her actually push the kid out would put him off sex for life. Seeing the state of him, James and Tommy offered to accompany him to the hospital.
‘Please come, Maria,’ James begged her.
Maria refused. She blamed getting up for work in the morning, but really she was repulsed by the thought of sitting in a confined space alongside Tommy. Lucy opted not to go either. She was quite shy and didn’t fancy being at such an important event with a family she barely knew.
‘I’ll drop the girls off home and I’ll keep an eye on Glad until you get back,’ Kenny offered.
The London Hospital was literally minutes away, in Whitechapel. Susan’s contractions were fast and furious and she was rushed straight into delivery. Ethel and Maureen donned surgical gowns and stood beside her.
‘Aah, I’m fuckin’ dying!’ Susan screamed. ‘It hurts so much, Mum,’ she cried.
‘I hope everything’s all right. She ain’t ’alf early,’ Maureen whispered to Ethel.
Ethel squeezed her hand. ‘She’ll be fine, they’ve just got the dates wrong, the soppy bastards.’
Maureen smiled. ‘God works in mysterious ways, don’t he? We’ve just said goodbye to Tommy Snr and our first grandchild chooses to arrive on the very same day.’
Outside, Kevin was pacing the corridor like a madman. He could hear Susan screaming and it was doing his head in.
‘There’s something wrong in there, I know there is,’ he said, over and over again.
James put an arm around him. ‘Everything’ll be fine, Kev. Just sit down and drink your coffee, it’ll all be over soon.’
‘I can see the head, Susan,’ the midwife said. ‘You’re doing just fine. Now keep on pushing, deep breaths.’
Maureen and Ethel squeezed each other’s hand. They were both emotional and even Ethel had tears in her eyes. A little baby in the family; they couldn’t wait to spoil it.
‘You’re nearly there now, Susan. One more big push and baby will arrive.’
Susan took one last deep breath. ‘Aaaah!’ she screamed.
Spellbound, Maureen and Ethel looked at one another.
‘It’s a boy,’ the midwife announced happily.
Ethel was the first to snap out of her trance. She had forgotten her glasses and her eyes must be deceiving her. Taking a closer look at the child, she jumped back in shock.
Frozen to the spot, she grabbed Maureen’s arm.
‘Gawd, stone the crows! Either I’m going off me rocker or me blinkers are playin’ me up, ’cause I’m tellin’ yer now, Maur, as God’s my judge, that baby looks fuckin’ black!’
TWENTY-SIX
Temporarily struck dumb, Maureen took a closer look. There must be some mistake; there had to be. She stared at the child and shook her head in disbelief. Compared to Kevin and Susan, it was as black as a raven’s wing.
Finding her voice, she turned to Susan. ‘What have yer been doin’? Yer dirty little whore. Poor Kevin’s standing outside. What am I meant to tell him, eh? You’ve pulled some strokes in the past, Susan, but mark my words, yer brothers will disown you this time. Rip the family to pieces, this will.’
Not knowing what to do for the best, the midwife tried to defuse the situation by handing the screaming baby to Susan.
‘It’s not mine. I don’t want it. Get it away from me,’ Susan shouted. Thinking back, Susan realised that although she’d spotted, her periods hadn’t been normal ever since she’d slept with Royston. If only she’d gone to the doctor. She could have aborted the bastard kid without anyone knowing.
‘Do you want to hold him?’ the midwife asked Ethel.
Ethel shook her head. ‘No, I fuckin’ don’t.’
Kevin paced up and down the corridor. All he could think of was his reading with Molly Muggins. ‘I’m sure I heard the baby cry ages ago. Do yer think there’s something wrong? Why ain’t no one called for me?’ he said, holding his head in anguish.
Tommy and James glanced at one another. They were both thinking the same as Kev, but neither wanted to admit it.
As the baby let out another scream, Tommy smiled. ‘Boy or girl, it’s got a pair of lungs on it. You’re gonna have some sleepless nights with that racket,’ he joked.
Kevin flopped onto a nearby chair. The waiting was playing havoc with his mind. He turned to James. ‘Go in there for me. I can’t take any more of this. Just find out what’s goin’ on, will yer? I’m dying to know if it’s a boy.’
James nudged his brother. ‘I don’t wanna see Susan with her legs up in the air. You’re the oldest, you go in, Tom.’
Tommy stood up. Somebody had to do the honours. He walked towards the delivery room and poked his head around the door. ‘What’s happening? Kev’s pullin’ his hair out. Is everything all right?’
Susan’s sobbing and his mum’s and nan’s stern faces answered his question. ‘You’re gonna have to wait outside,’ the nurse told him.
Tommy ignored her. He wasn’t moving until he found out what was wrong. He heard the baby cry and walked towards the cot.
‘Don’t look at it, Tommy,’ his mother said, pushing him away.
‘Let him fuckin’ see it. Let him see what his dirty whore of a sister has been up to. We can’t bleach it and pretend it’s fuckin’ white, can we?’ Ethel shouted.
Tommy felt sick as a pig as he peered into the cot. Unable to control himself, he lunged towards Susan. ‘You fuckin’ slag. Who’s the father, you fuckin’ whore?’
The nurses tried to stop him as he grabbed Susan by the hair and tried to drag her out of the bed. ‘Get security,’ one screamed.
‘Stop it, Tommy. You’re hurting her,’ Maureen yelled, as she grabbed him from behind.
Afraid for Susan’s safety, Nurse Zokora leaped into action. She was of African origin herself, and was more than used to the racist comments and behaviour that she was seeing and hearing. ‘Please, let us stop this fighting. We have a beautiful baby boy here. The child needs his mother and his family; he needs love, bless his soul.’
Ethel shook her head. ‘He’s one of yours, darlin’, not one of ours. I ain’t bein’ seen with a kid that’s as black as Newgate’s knocker. Imagine takin’ it out in a pram? We’ll be a laughin’ stock, us Huttons, the talk of the fuckin’ town.’
As two security guards rushed past, Kevin stood up. ‘What the fuck is goin’ on?’ he shouted, as he followed them into the room. ‘Susan, where’s my baby? Is it a boy? What’s wrong with him? Is he dead?’ Kevin screamed, as Tommy walked towards him.
Ethel was the first to answer. ‘He ain’t your son, Kevin. The baby’s as black as fuckin’ soot. It’s in that cot; look for yerself.’
Maureen shot her a look. She could be so tactless at times.
Kevin looked at Tommy. Ethel was winding him up, she had to be. Tommy shook his head. ‘Let’s talk outside, Kev.’
Kevin pushed Tommy out of the way and looked into the cot. ‘No, Susan, no,’ he sobbed, as he sank to his knees.
‘I’m so sorry, Kev. It was one night, I was drunk. Please forgive me, I’ll get it adopted and me and you can have another baby. Don’t leave me, Kev, please, I love you.’
‘You have to leave now. Only birthing partners are allowed in here,’ the security guard told Tommy and Kevin.
‘Touch me again and I’ll knock you out,’ Tommy shouted, pushing him away.
Maureen bent down and urged Kevin to stand up. ‘Come on, love, let’s get you out of here.’
Still sobbing, Kevin felt a bolt of anger surge through him. ‘What is my mum and mates gonna say? I’ve been taken for a right cunt, and it’s all that slag’s fault. Fuckin’ black man’s meat, she’s a fuckin’ whore. I’ll kill you for this, Susan, fuckin’ kill yer. Molly Muggins was right: sadness and tears, she said. When you get out of this hospital, you’re dead, you nigger-lovin’ slag.’
As he was led from the room, Kevin completely lost the plot. ‘I’m gonna fuckin’ kill some cunt,’ he screamed, as he pushed over the drinks machine.
Being no more than eighteen stone between them, the security guards were well out of their depth. ‘Call extra security,’ one shouted to the other.
As Kevin continued smashing up the hospital, Maureen and Ethel walked outside. Distraught, they sat on a wooden bench. ‘I can’t believe this is happening. What are we gonna do, Mum?’ Maureen asked.
Ethel shrugged her shoulders. ‘Don’t ask me. I suppose it’s best all round if she has it adopted.’
Maureen shook her head. ‘She can’t do that. No matter what colour it is, it’s still our flesh and blood.’
Ethel stood up. ‘Well, it ain’t my flesh and blood. I’ll never be able to show me face down the bingo or the market again. I’m goin’ home now. Need a lie down, I do. I want nothin’ more to do with Susan or the fuckin’ kid.’
Maureen watched her walk away. Part of her wanted to do the same, but she couldn’t.
Unable to stop Kevin taking his temper out on the hospital property, Tommy and James could only watch as the police arrested him and led him away.
‘Poor bastard,’ Tommy said, as they sat in a nearby pub drowning their sorrows a couple of hours later.
‘I wonder what’s gonna happen to the baby. Do yer think she’ll keep it?’ James asked his brother.
‘Fuck knows, but I ain’t having nothin’ to do with it, and neither are you, Jimmy boy. I could kill our Susan – talk about trash the family name. I wish I knew who the father was: I’d kill the black cunt.’
James kept quiet as he sipped his drink. He remembered seeing Susan and Royston together. They’d both looked dishevelled and Tommy’s welcome-home party was about nine months ago. He decided to say nothing. Tommy was a loose cannon, and James didn’t want him to get himself locked up again. He changed the subject. ‘Where’s Mum, Tom? Did she go home or stay at the hospital?’
About to answer, Tommy was aware of laughter coming from the bar area. He turned around and came face to face with Tibbsy, Benno and Dave Taylor. ‘What’s funny?’ he said.
‘We hear your Susan had her baby. What did she have?’ Tibbsy asked, nudging the others.
Tommy looked at James. News travelled fast in the East End, and he needed these goons like he needed a hole in the head. He never used this boozer himself, and had he known his old pals did, he would have gone elsewhere. ‘Why don’t you fuck off, you losers,’ Tommy told them.
Dave Taylor was very drunk. Killing himself with laughter, he decided to be brave. ‘I heard she had a golliwog.’
Tommy jumped up and smashed Taylor in the face with his pint glass.
‘I’m calling the police,’ the barmaid screamed.
‘Leave it, Tom, they ain’t worth it,’ James shouted, trying to break up the fracas.
As Tibbsy and Benno joined in, Tommy went mental and all hell broke loose. Desperate to stop his brother from getting nicked, James could do only one thing to stop the fight.
‘It’s their mate’s kid, Tom. It belongs to Royston Ellis.’
As the sound of sirens echoed in the distance, Tommy spat on the ground and brushed himself down.
‘You called yer own mate’s kid a golliwog, yer fuckin’ two-faced mugs. Grass me up, and I swear I’ll kill all of yer.’
As Tommy and James left the pub, Benno, Tibbsy and an injured Dave Taylor were totally lost for words.
Maureen opened her eyes and for a second wondered where she was. She quickly remembered. After the chaotic scenes earlier, Susan had been moved to a little room of her own.
‘Why don’t you stay with her? Help her bond with the baby,’ the nurse had told Maureen.
Susan had been in a terrible state. Totally exhausted, she had finally sobbed herself to sleep.
Maureen checked that Susan was breathing OK and stood up. She’d dozed off on the chair, and her neck was as stiff as a board. The baby was nowhere to be seen, and Maureen felt guilty as she thought back to earlier.
‘Get it out of my sight. I hate it – it’s ruined my life. I never want to see it again,’ Susan had screamed at the nurse.
As the door opened, Maureen smiled. Nurse Zokora had been so nice to her. ‘Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?’
Maureen nodded. ‘I’ve got a mouth like a camel’s arse, a cup of tea wouldn’t go amiss. Where’s the baby?’
‘I’m looking after him in another room. He is so beautiful; why don’t you come and see him?’