Part 18 (1/2)
”Right, right. So what do we do when that happens?” asked Daniel ”We just wait I guess.”
”For what?”
”For them to start up again.”
”OK, so we just sit and wait. I can do that. That's fine. We will sit here and chill.”
Both of them fell into silence again.
”For G.o.d's sake,” hissed Katy. ”There's a bottle of brandy in the kitchen cupboard. A small one each shouldn't do us any harm.”
”Wise, very wise. Good for the circulation. I will be back shortly,” said Daniel scuttling off.
Daniel returned and they both sat sipping their drinks deep in thought. The contractions seemed to have stopped completely for the time being.
”So, are you going to tell me why I am sitting here being your not very good labour partner rather than one of the two possible fathers?”
”Do I have to?” asked Katy, not sure if she had the energy.
”Well yes I think you do, seeing as you are putting me through this. I need to know I'm doing it for good reason.”
She reached over to grip his hand before she swallowed hard and prayed her contractions would give her respite for just a little longer.
”It's over with Ben,” she said, breathing heavily and increasing the grip on Daniel's hand.
”How come?” he managed to utter, despite the pain he was in.
”He knows everything,” she said. ”Now he's gone for good and I hate myself.” She released Daniel's hand and rolled over onto her side to let the silent tears fall un.o.bserved. Daniel shook his hand vigorously to try and restore some sense of circulation.
”Then Matthew came and he kissed me,” she muttered, barely audible.
Daniel leapt up and ran around the bed, throwing himself onto the bed next to her and thrusting his face right into hers.
”You are kidding me?” he said.
”No,” she said, shaking her head slowly, tears dripping off the end of her nose.
”What did you do?” asked Daniel, almost bouncing up and down on the bed with the excitement of the drama.
”Kicked him out.”
”Come on,” he said, punching the air. ”Serve the toe rag right, what an utter s.l.u.t.”
Katy thrust her head in her pillow and wailed.
”Not you, him,” said Daniel. When she refused to look at him he lay down next to her and pulled her towards him.
”I am a s.l.u.t,” she cried into his shoulder.
”No Katy. You're not. One night of unfortunate s.e.x does not make you a s.l.u.t,” replied Daniel. ”Believe me, I know a s.l.u.t when I see one.”
Eventually the tears subsided and Daniel heard a faint snore. He heaved a huge sigh of relief and gently laid her back down against her pillow. He picked up the bottle of brandy and his gla.s.s and left the room.
He went to the kitchen and shut himself in before guiltily pouring himself a very large drink. He downed it in one before pouring another one, this time taking his time over the amber liquid, deep in thought. After maybe half an hour he made a decision. He got up a little unsteadily and started to systematically search the flat until he eventually found Katy's phone under a chair in the living room. He returned to the kitchen, shutting himself in again and started to scroll through her numbers until he found Ben's.
He pressed the call b.u.t.ton and tried to steady his rapidly beating heart.
”Just calm down Daniel,” he said to himself. ”It's not like you are calling to ask him out.” He shuddered at the image of him and football nut Ben as a couple.
The phone seemed to ring endlessly until finally going through to voicemail. He left a fairly abusive message telling Ben that if he didn't call back within the next five minutes he would personally nominate him for ”Perfect Partners” in next month's bestselling Leeds gay magazine.
He sat there drumming his fingers, willing the phone to ring. At five minutes on the dot he picked the phone up again and started to scroll down Katy's phone book.
First he looked to see if ”Ben's Mum” came up or even ”Ben's Dad.” Nothing. He racked his brains trying to remember if Katy had ever mentioned a brother or a sister as he kept scrolling, desperate for some inspiration. He got all the way through the list without finding anything. He started again, praying he might have missed something, and stopped as a name caught his eye.
”Braindead.”
Either Katy had a particular dislike of one of her clients or this had to be a friend of Ben's. His thumb hovered over the call b.u.t.ton. Worth the risk he thought. He took another swig of brandy and pressed down hard.
After a couple of rings someone picked up.
Chapter 20.
”I'm havin' a p.i.s.s, hold on,” came a voice at the other end of the phone, followed by the unmistakable tinkle of urine falling at speed into a tin urinal.
”Sorry about that, who is it?”
”It's Daniel here. I am a friend of Katy's. Ben knows me and I need to speak to him urgently. Are you with him?”
”Who?”
”Daniel. I know Katy and Ben. I need to speak to Ben. Do you know where he is?”
”He's sitting here. What you calling me for?”
”Because I can't get through to him.”
”I can give you his mobile number. Call him tomorrow though 'cause he's s.h.i.+t-faced.”
”No wait, it's urgent, I need to talk to him now. His girlfriend is in labour.”
”What? Hang on a minute,” said Braindead. ”Shut the f.u.c.k up will ya. I'm trying to be Ben's secretary and I can't hear what this posh bloke is saying,” Daniel heard Braindead shout.
”Say again?”
”I said it's imperative I speak to Ben now, about Katy?