Kylie held tight to Richie. She was just so happy to be in his arms again. Then, she staggered under the dead weight of him, and people around them started screaming. "Richie." She whispered. His arms stopped holding her, they slid down her back, and she screamed his name again. "Richie!"
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, and then, someone helped her to lower him to the floor, and Kylie knelt, cradling his head. Her tears were falling on his face. She could hear people still screaming and someone calling an ambulance. It seemed like forever before she heard the sirens of the ambulance and the police cars, though she knew afterwards that it had been less than five minutes that was one of the fortunes of living in a small town. The police officer helped her up as the paramedics took Richie away; she grabbed his keys, phone off the table and ran after the stretcher. They would not let her go in the ambulance, and a police officer guided her over to a car."Don't worGrant huddled under the bridge, and he pulled his hood up around his face. He was cold, shocked and stupefied at what he had just done. He was so glad that the man, Richie, he assumed, had turned Kylie out of the way and sorry that he had taken the bullet. That wasn't supposed to happen. Grant had shocked himself, and he was confused and didn't truly understand what was supposed to have occurred. He wished he had never taken the gun out. He knew it wasn't just their life that he had ruined, but his own as well. It was Saturday evening. He should be having tea with Kylie, watching Suki toddle around. Just what the fuck had he done?"You can go in and see him now." said the nurse, "He's still not quite with it, so you may get a weird conversation if you get anything at all."Richie was in the recovery position, his wound uppermost; Kylie went over to him, and she stroked his hair back, and his eyelids flickered."Hey Richie," she said softly, "I'm so glad you are alrigh
Grant was shattered. He had walked nearly all night through fields and around villages alongside the A1 back towards London. He knew he really shouldn't be going in that direction at all, the coppers would be on the lookout for him, and Grant knew there was no way he could get back into the flat. Pity that there were things he wanted in there. He wanted a picture of Suki, an image of his daughter.Ellie slid her hand along the sheet towards Jasper, and she had been awake for a while. It was just getting light, and her ribs were aching. She had done far too much yesterday, but she couldn't help that. She adored Richie, he had been her first real friend down here, and there was no way she was sitting in bed while he was at death's door.She turned her head to look at Jasper. He seemed so far away, and this bed was enormous. She might as well be here alone. She thought about what she wanted to ask him. It wasn't much. She just wanted him to wash her hair, and she was sure it
When Kylie got to the hospital that afternoon, Richie already had a visitor. A woman was sitting ramrod straight on the edge of the chair next to Richie's bed. All Kylie could see was her black hair pulled back to a tight bun on the back of her head. Kylie looked in the porthole window in the door; neither of them had noticed her so far.Kylie didn't go into the room. It looked as though Richie wasn't thrilled with her. She was older than Richie, maybe in her early forties. She could see Richie was talking to her. He had his business face on and certainly wasn't smiling.Kylie turned to the nurse's station behind her. Sarah, the staff-nurse, looked up from her note-taking. "Hello, are you here to see Richie?""Yes, do you er, know who is in with him now?"Sarah pulled a face, "Apparently, that's his housekeeper. She was how can I put this, rather abrasive to the staff when she first arrived.""Oh dear, she was like that when she called me this morning.
Jasper sat in his studio, and he could see Ellie sitting in the sun and chatting with her mum and dad. He hoped she would be pleased with the decision he had just made for them. She had three weeks. Hopefully, her face would be much better by then, and he was surprised at how much better she was looking. He knew she had been applying ice packs to her face a few times a day, which had helped the swelling. She had three weeks before they were due at the chapel in Shettleham where the village vicar would marry them. He had already sent out emails to the people he wanted to invite. There weren't many he wanted at his wedding. He would have to get her mum by herself and find out who Ellie would like there. He wondered when Richie would be let out of the hospital, and he would ask him to be his best man. He'd already phoned Nick and Gabriel, who would be ushers.He grinned when he thought about the time th
After Ellie had taken the sandwiches up to her mum, she made her excuses."My ribs are aching. I'm going to rest for a while," Ellie said to no one in particular."Are you alright?" Jasper asked quickly.Ellie nodded, "Yes, I'm fine." She mumbled, turning her head, not wanting him to see the tears filling her eyes. Once the door had closed, she could hear them all chatting away, her mother laughing. Her dad was cracking his silly jokes, probably at her expense. She knew it was meant with love, but sometimes she just wanted love without the jokes. Without her mother pushing her to do the next thing on her list. No one ever seemed to look at her list and the things she wanted to do. She had never told them about Greg about why she had left the hotel, her mother would have raised the roof, and all she wanted to do was forget. She didn't want to be reminded of that. Her mum would have just gone on and on about it.She went to get her painkillers, which were still in
Jasper legged it up to the studio. He slammed the door behind him and threw himself onto the red velvet couch. It was old and falling to bits, but it was where he thought things through, and right now, he had a great deal to think about.The past week had been a nightmare; it certainly wasn't how he had expected things to go with Ellie. Now she had this mad idea that he didn't love her and thought he was playing with her. Well, it wasn't right. He loved so many things about her; the way she looked and how she dressed; she would never wear dresses like Georgie; thank God, Ellie was far more conservative, and she left a lot more to the imagination.He loved her innocence not just in the bedroom but in other ways. He loved the way she always looked for the best in people; even after her first run-in with Tom months ago, she had said that it was just the w
Veronica Fox, Roni, was never satisfied with what she had. She had a lovely home. She had a loving, although very busy, husband, and she had a beautiful, good-natured daughter. They had enough money to go on lovely holidays, buy nice clothes and generally enjoy life, but Veronica wanted more. Her eyes were almost out on stalks as she stood on the private terrace in the most beautiful hotel in Paris, where her sister-in-law was having her surprise engagement dinner. Standing almost within touching distance were four of the most handsome and richest men, she could hope to come across.She knew that Ellie had already taken one of them, but even so, she knew her sister in law would have a job keeping Jasper satisfied. Maybe he would appreciate a more experienced woman now and again. She cast her 'professional' eye over the rest of the men. Two of them were quite possibly the most famous people in the world at the moment. Both Nick Henderson and Gabriel Swann were panty-throwing han
Molly Parkes followed the butler down the hallway; she was here to interview Jasper Neyve."This way, please, Miss Parkes," said Francis opening the door into Jasper's study. "May I get you like tea or coffee, Miss Parkes?" "Coffee, please," Molly sits on the sofa and settles back to wait for Jasper. She chews on her thumbnail and wonders if Jasper Neyve is as unassuming as he is portrayed in other interviews or on television. She admits to herself that she is quite nervous about meeting him, which is ridiculous. Molly almost feels like pinching herself to wake up to the fact that she is a hardened hack and not some love-sick teenager about to go on her first date.Molly takes a look around the room. It's very classy; tidy but lived in. There is beautiful objet d art placed around the room, and the furniture is antique. His desk is at the far end of the room; it's an old desk and well cared for but used; it holds a computer, an old anglepoise lamp, a pile of books on