The Graft by Martina Cole Read Free Book Online

because he just got sick and tired of picking up the pieces.
     
    Now he was back in the driving seat once more. Trying to sort out another mess, only this time there was no way to resolve it happily.
     
    If they could get Sonny buried it might make her move on with her life. He was brain dead and without any vital functions, kept barely alive by the machines they’d hooked him up to. And now they needed those machines for another patient, one with a chance of living their life again. Unlike their poor son.
     
    ‘If they take him from me I will have nothing, Tyrell. It’s all right for you, you have other kids, your wife, family . . .’
     
    ‘You’ve got nothing now, haven’t you? Come on, Jude, what’ve you really got? A boy who can never speak to you, hug you, help you when it all falls out of bed. I loved him, Jude, he was my first-born and I never turned my back on him, or you either for that matter. So don’t give me your bullshit now, please.’
     
    She knew he was right, but it was so hard to take it all on board. What would happen to her when Sonny was gone? Who would take care of her , make sure she ate, made sure she bathed? It was only now that she realised just how much she’d relied on him. Sonny Boy was her all. He had taken care of her since he was old enough to bring over her kit so she could have a blast while she lay on the sofa, laughing at his antics. It was why she had never let Tyrell have custody, even when he had begged for it.
     
    Sonny had been her passport to his father’s money, and the only person who had loved her, really loved her no matter what she did.
     
    She lost people like others lost jobs, they all got fed up with her. But not her Sonny Boy. Like most addicts she stole, lied and cheated to get what she wanted and he was the only person who always forgave her, no matter what she did. He was the only constant in her rotten life.
     
    ‘I’ve told them they can harvest his organs. Maybe some good can come out of all this, eh?’
     
    ‘You think it was his fault, don’t you, Tyrell? You think he was bad . . .’
     
    He shook his head.
     
    ‘He was good, Jude, the kindest boy I ever knew. He had a heart as big as the world. But that Sonny Boy is gone now. He is dead. Let him rest in peace.’
     
    ‘But what about me ? If he goes, what will I do?’
     
    Tyrell sighed once more.
     
    The selfishness of her addiction was always the overriding factor that drove Jude. No wonder Sonny had come to this.
     
    ‘But this isn’t about you, is it? For once, this isn’t about you at all. It’s about Sonny Boy and his needs now. I’ll take care of you. I always have, haven’t I?’
     
    Jude looked at him, considering. He’d left her but it was true he’d always looked out for her. Tyrell always was a soft touch, Sonny had to have inherited it from somewhere.
     
    ’All right,’ she mumbled. ‘Do it then. But don’t expect me to stick around. He’s my baby, it’s too hard for me to watch.’
     
    And too long since her last fix, he could tell from her anxious eyes. But at least she’d agreed. Sonny Boy could depart in peace.
     
     
Tammy heard her husband before she saw him. Lying in bed, sipping her coffee and flicking through the Daily Mail , she heard his feet thundering up the stairs and his voice bellowing. All she could make out was that he was going to murder her when he got his hands on her.
     
    He burst through the bedroom door with the bill from the country club clutched in his hand.
     
    ‘What is this?’
     
    He thrust the piece of paper into her face.
     
    She moved away from him silently, carefully placing the coffee on the night table by the bed in case it stained the Jacquard bedding that had cost a small fortune and made her smile every time she looked at it.
     
    ‘I’m not joking, Tammy, me and you are going to fall out big-time over this.’
     
    Nick was fuming, really angry. He was so angry he was actually shaking and this sight affected