Helpless (Reece Bibby/James Graham)

Chapter Sixteen

James and I stepped off the plane in England. We’d just spent a week in Paris for our honeymoon. As we went inside the airport, James grabbed my hand and spun me around before pressing his lips to mine. “Stop it,” I giggled, “We need to go.”

The two of us made our way through the airport, collecting our luggage on the way. When we came out of the gates, Anabelle ran towards me. I picked her up and kissed her cheek. Fortunately, my wrist had healed just before the wedding.

James took Anabelle off me for a hug while Barclay wrapped his arms around me. “I’ve missed you so much,” he said dramatically before letting go. “I’ve missed you too,” I laughed. Barclay took my suitcase and I smiled gratefully. “To say you’ve just been on holiday, you don’t look too good,” Barclay told me as the four of us left the airport. “No, I don’t feel great,” I replied.

James placed his hand on my forehead before saying, “You’ve got a temperature. You probably picked up a virus or something. We’ll get you home then you can rest.” When we got back to the flat I went straight to bed. It didn’t take long before I fell asleep.

“Babe,” I heard James say. I opened my eyes and squinted. James was sat on the bed beside me. His hand lightly stroked my cheek. “How are you feeling?” he asked and I smiled weakly. “A little better,” I answered, kissing his hand. “I have to tell you something,” he told me. I sat up and yawned, realising just how tired I was.

“We’re going back to Dublin tomorrow for three days,” James told me. I felt the blood drain from my face as I remembered what happened last time I was there. “You’re not going to get hurt again, Jaz,” he reassured me. “Is it safe for me to go? I’m three months pregnant,” I asked, hoping there was a way out of it and he nodded. “You’ll be fine, Babe. And I’m not leaving you on your own in your condition to look after Anabelle.”

I didn’t want to go back to Dublin, not after what had happened there a few years ago. I’d been mugged and attacked and I’d had the most terrifying nightmares afterwards. Fortunately, I no longer had the nightmares but I feared that going back to Dublin would cause them to return.

“Is Faye going?” I asked James and he shook his head. “So it’s just the band, me and Anabelle?” I questioned and he nodded. “Okay, I can deal with that,” I replied. James smiled and kissed my forehead. “You get some rest, Babe,” he whispered. I lay back down and James pulled the duvet over my body. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

When I woke up, James was packing clothes into a suitcase. “Do you want some help?” I asked as I swung my legs round and placed my feet on the floor. “No, Babe, you just relax. I’ve got this,” he told me, smiling. I appreciated the gesture, but James would pack all the wrong things. I got up from the bed and started getting stuff out of the wardrobe and drawers.

Once we’d finished packing, I went into Anabelle’s room and started packing her things. “Mummy, where we going?” Anabelle asked as she came into the bedroom and saw what I was doing. “We’re going on a little holiday,” I told her, smiling. “Is Uncle Barclay going?” she questioned and I nodded then added, “And Daddy James.”

Anabelle cheered and ran out of the room to find James and Barclay. When I’d finished packing her stuff, I went into the living room. “When are we setting off?” I asked James. “The flight is just after midnight so we’ll set off in an hour or so,” he answered. I checked the time to see it was 7pm. I must’ve slept all day.

By the time I’d done some final packing, had a shower and got dressed, it was time to leave the flat. I picked up Anabelle while Barclay and James got the luggage. A taxi was waiting for us outside and I got into the vehicle with my daughter, followed by James and Barclay.

The rest of the band was already at the airport when we arrived but it didn’t look as though they’d been waiting for long. “Right, let’s go,” Tom piped up when we arrived, throwing his arm around Charlie. Reece picked up Anabelle and kissed her forehead.

I was worried about returning to Dublin, worried about how it’d affect me. But I had all the lads with me and I knew it’d be just fine.