Carnage: Book #1 The Story Of Us (Volume 1)(34)

“Morning Princess,” my Dad says looking up from his paper, he folds it and holds his arms open for me to go and sit on his lap. It’s a routine we’ve followed for my entire life but he’s rarely here in the mornings now as I get up so much later. I wrap my arms around his neck.

“Morning Daddy, Mum, did Sean ring last night?”

“No babe, we came to bed about eleven and you were soundo, so I turned off your music and covered you with a blanket.” She tilts her head and looks at me. “Marley or Lennon didn’t call either; perhaps the boys were just tired after all the travelling and had an early night.”

“Yeah, perhaps.” But I knew they hadn’t, even then, I knew something wasn’t right but until the call came, I had no idea how very far from right things actually were and how wrong things would now always be.

I heard nothing at all until Thursday night; I’d given up waiting for Sean’s call for another night and was just at the top of the stairs on my way to bed when the phone rang, I stared at it for a few seconds before picking it up.

“Hello.”

“Georgia?”

“Sean, what’s wrong?”

“I love you G.”

He was crying.

“Sean, what’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry G, I love you, just know that, just hold on to that fact, I love you, I will always love you.”

“Sean, you’re scaring me, what’s wrong…?”

I was crying myself now and almost screaming in complete panic at him down the phone.

“I love you G, always, wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, it will always only ever be you.”

“Sean, Sean?”

The line went dead.

I held onto the phone as I slid down the wall, my legs couldn’t hold me up, my heart was pounding so hard I could feel it throughout my entire body; I don’t know how long I’d been sitting there when my Mum slid down the wall next to me, I became aware of the phone bleeping, still in my hand. My Mum took it from me and placed it back on the hook.

“What’s wrong George, what’s wrong with Sean?”

I shook my head at her, and then I shrugged. “I don’t know but I have a feeling it’s something bad. Mum, can Dad get the number of the hotel and talk to Lennon, something’s wrong and I’m really scared.” I threw myself into her arms, I felt sick with fear and I just wanted my Mum.

“Shush baby girl, what did he say? Frank, can you get up here.”

My Dad was there in an instant. “What the f*cks wrong, who was on the phone, Georgia, who’s upset ya Princess?”

“Daddy, please phone Lennon, I can’t remember if they are in France or Germany or in a hotel or on the bus, I can’t remember but something’s wrong, something’s not right, Sean was crying and saying sorry, find out for me Daddy, find the boys and sort it out for me, please.”

My Dad was kneeling in front of me and I was gripping his shirt in my fists, I had tears but I wasn’t actually crying, I was hysterical but I had no idea why!

“Calm yourself down Princess, I will make some calls and see what I can find out, you know the boys, they’ve probably had too much to drink and are just messing about, go and get into bed and I’ll have it all sorted out by the morning.”

I shook my head. “No, I want to wait up, I won’t sleep, I need to know he’s okay, that they’re all okay.”

My Dad cupped my face in his hands and kissed my forehead, he was my Dad, I was his Princess, he would make everything right, and he always did.