Billy shook his head, wondering if he would be able to find the words that he knew would break his sister’s heart.

              “She loves you, Billy; you know that; despite it all, you have to be strong for her.”

              “Have you got hold of Jay yet?” he asked, trying not to spit the man’s name as he spoke it.

              “His phone is off.” She looked down, not meeting Billy’s eyes.

Typical, Billy thought. Where the fuck was he then, fucking waster. Kate was lying in hospital; her whole life had just been ripped from her and no sign of lover boy. Well, hopefully Kate would realise she would never be able to count on a man like Jay. Billy would keep out of it for now, he promised himself, but he would be there to pick up the pieces; he just hoped that Kate would come to her senses sooner rather than later.

              “You should go home, Sonia, you look knackered.” Sonia noted that Billy’s tone was softer towards her; what he said wasn’t a dig or a command, more of a suggestion. She was exhausted, but she really wanted to be there when Kate woke up.

              “Do you mind if I stay, Billy?” She looked at him. “I just want to see that she’s okay; just let her know that I’m here for her. Me and Kate have got really close these past few months, and you know, as her mum isn’t around I thought maybe she might need someone… woman to woman like.”

Sonia was right. He hadn’t thought about it, really, what would he know about losing a baby and never being able to have another one? Kate was going to be a mess; he was going to be the one to tell her, but his sister would need this woman sitting opposite him even more over the next while.

As Billy walked past Sonia to re-join Kate, he put his hand out and touched Sonia’s arm. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

That was a very rare moment, Sonia thought; she wondered how many people were lucky enough to see the softer side of Billy O’Connell.

Sonia heard an alarm in the room a few minutes later. Jumping to her feet, she saw Kate had come round, and that Billy was leaning over her, holding her and speaking softly to her; she couldn’t make out Kate’s expression, as Billy’s stocky shoulders were blocking her view, but as a nurse came running she heard Kate’s heart-breaking sobs.

21

Tanya looked at her reflection in the mirror, as she applied the last of her makeup. Pure perfection, she thought to herself. She knew her looks got her plenty of male attention, and she could do with a bit of an ego boost tonight, as Billy acted like she was invisible.

She had gone all out and bought a fantastic dress for tonight, all shimmer and sparkle, with a very low-cut neckline that should guarantee some admiring glances. She was almost ready.

Tanya hadn’t really wanted to go at first, the thought of sitting opposite a teary-eyed Kate all night really didn’t appeal. But the more Tanya thought about it, the more she had decided that she could do with a night out. A nice meal and a few bottles of wine would go down nicely.

Billy had been acting funny these past few weeks, since Kate had lost the baby. He was worse than ever about his sister, trying to do everything and anything that he could to help her. Tanya played it cool, but she was seething; he had never made this much fuss over her, and these days to say she got little attention from him was an understatement. It was like she didn’t exist. He was so busy helping Kate that he hadn’t noticed Tanya losing her patience with him, their sex life had dwindled into nothing, and she was drinking more than ever.

Well, tonight she would make him realise what he had been missing. Her hair had been highlighted and twirled into a French pleat by one of the best girls at the salon, her dress had cost a bomb and was so low cut at the front that her ample cleavage was spilling out, and she had waxed, scrubbed and tanned every part of her toned body. If nothing else came of this circus of a meal, she would use it to get his attention tonight, she grinned, as she squirted her favourite perfume onto her cleavage and the nape of her neck.

Billy had arranged tonight and Tanya didn’t hold out much hope for how the evening would pan out. This was a big deal to Billy, and how he had the willpower to go through with it was beyond her, she was shocked that he had suggested it.

They were going to La Riviera, an exclusive restaurant in Notting Hill. It was a very swanky place, with a waiting list of a month or two for most people, but Billy was friends with the manager. He always said to her “it’s the people you know,” and she guessed he was right, he had managed to get a reservation for the best table at a moment’s notice. Tanya was looking forward to the food, it was to die for. It was her favourite restaurant. Tonight, though, thanks to Billy losing the plot they were going to be joined by not only Kate, but Sonia and Jay.

Tanya had thought, when Billy had told her who he had booked a table for, that it was Kate’s idea: there was no way that Billy would have thought of this, let alone organised it. He may have been jumping at every one of his sister’s pathetic whims at the moment, but this was too much. The more Tanya had stewed on it all, the more okay she had been with the whole charade; of course it was all going to go tits up, there was no way after everything that had happened that the two men would ever genuinely get on, and Tanya was now looking forward to the shit hitting the fan and blowing up straight in Kate’s face. Poor little Kate, she couldn’t have kids, big deal, loads of women couldn’t have kids; they coped… book a holiday, buy new shoes: life goes on. What about the kids with no parents, the orphans? There were options. It was so annoying to watch everyone running round after Kate, who was playing the victim; it was wearing a bit thin with Tanya.

Billy had brought Kate to the house almost every day and the two had put their falling out behind them. They had spent so many hours talking things through, crying and laughing. Tanya had sometimes felt that she was in the way in her own bloody house.

Kate needed her brother more than anyone, but she had made it clear to him that he needed to make peace with Jay, for all their sakes.

Jay hadn’t been that upset when he had finally rolled in and been told, by Sonia, about the baby. Sonia had been shocked by his reaction: or lack of one. He had played up his feelings when he had seen Kate in the hospital, and Sonia had watched as her son had stood at Kate’s bedside and made up lie after lie of where he had been that night, and how he was feeling about losing his child. Sonia could see straight through him as only a mother could; she knew that her son had no real feelings for Kate and she had seen the look of relief in his eyes when she had told him that Kate had lost the baby. Billy had made himself scarce by then; he knew that he had to give Kate time.

Billy had sobbed when Kate rang him a few days after she had left hospital, to thank him for being there for her. She said that that was what was important and that she wanted to stop arguing with him. She told him that she loved him, and she had cried. Every day since then, he had been there for her.

Kate had suggested that Billy and Jay bury the hatchet, and even though there was only one place that Billy would have liked to bury it, he had smiled and nodded and agreed to do whatever it took, for her sake. This was a big deal for Billy, never in a million years would he normally consider giving Jay the time of day, let alone eating a meal with the guy, but he would do this for Kate. She didn’t need to know that it was going work in his favour; he was going keep Jay closer than ever, and watch the bloke’s every move, all the time knocking up brownie points for being brother of the year. Never again would he let anyone get between them, and next time his sister needed him he would be there.