Page 141 of Seven Letters

She smiled at Johnny in the mirror. ‘You got the job, didn’t you?’

Johnny put his hands in his trouser pockets. ‘No. It’s about the journalist in the hospital and Sarah’s story.’

Mia’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘Oh, no! Tell me the story’s not coming out.’

Johnny cleared his throat. ‘Not exactly.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Remember when I went to talk to Jimmy Dolan about quashing the story?’

‘Yes, and he said he would.’

‘Well, that’s not exactly what happened.’

Mia’s hand froze mid-air. ‘What the hell is going on, Johnny?’

‘When I spoke to Jimmy, he was very reluctant to pass on it because, let’s face it, it’s a great story from a news editor’s point of view. I tried everything to get him to drop it, but there was only one way I could do it. I had to offer him a deal.’

Mia’s eyes widened. ‘What? What deal?’

Johnny sighed. ‘It wasn’t a good solution, Mia, but it was the only solution.’

‘What did you do?’ Mia said hoarsely.

‘Jimmy was going to run the story one way or another. I couldn’t get him to drop it. He already had a pile of research done – they had pulled photos from Sarah’s Facebook account, they knew what was going on and it was being printed, no matter what. The only concession I could get …’ He stopped and looked at her.

Mia felt like her world was about to explode all over again when the next words left his mouth.

‘The only way I was able to stop the story coming out was to offer an exclusive written by me.’

Mia backed away from him into the bedroom. She sat down suddenly on the bed.

Johnny followed her and hunkered down in front of her. ‘Please don’t freak out, Mia. I know it sounds awful, but it’s the best outcome for us. I got him to hold off until now, and with Adam putting an end to things today, that means the story comes out when it’s over, not while Sarah is still lying in the hospital. That’s really good. You have to see that. And I’ve written it from our point of view, stressing how difficult this has been for the family, how there was no good option available to us. This way, we get our point across before the tabloids row in, twist and sensationalize it. It gives us control, Mia. That’s why I did it.’

‘Have you lost your mind?’ Mia shouted. ‘You told me it wasn’t going to come out. That is mysister! Are you using my family tragedy to get in with Jimmy and his newspaper, Johnny? Is that what this is really about?’

Johnny rocked back on his heels. ‘Jesus, Mia, of course not. I’m trying to protect you all from some tabloid exposé that would cast the family as monsters.’

‘You told me it was sorted out. Now you’re telling me that you’re going to expose my family publicly. You lied to me. Are you getting a job out of this? Is using my sister’s life the only way you can get a bloody job?’

Johnny’s face set in a hard line. ‘Listen to what I’m saying. I’m not using Sarah for anything. They were going to run the story no matter what, so I did sort it out. I did stop it, in the only way possible.’

Mia poked her husband in the chest. ‘No, you bloody didn’t. I don’t want people reading about my sister and her baby. It’s our private horror. The last thing we need is people weighing in and telling us how awful we are or how right or how wrong. I asked you to sort out one thing, just one thing, and you couldn’t even do that!’ Mia screamed. ‘I’m having a nervous breakdown here, yet I’m still going to work and paying the bloody mortgage and all the bills while you’re sitting around on your arse fucking things up.’

She put her head into her hands, but Johnny pulled her hands away and forced her to look at him. ‘I am not sitting on my arse. Who the hell do you think has been keeping everything together at home? Me. I’ve been looking after Izzy and Riley and you and everyone. I’ve hunted for a job every day since I was made redundant. I feel enough of a failure without you shoving it in my face. If it wasn’t for me, Sarah’s story would have been splashed all over every tabloid last week. I had to beg Jimmy to hold off.’

Mia stared at him. She hated him right now. ‘Well, it’ll be splashed all over the papers soon enough anyway, so I’d hardly say you saved the day, Johnny. You did nothing but postpone it. I can’t believe this is your idea of sorting things out. You have lied to me and betrayed my family. Thanks a lot, Johnny. You’re a real rock.’

‘There’s no need to be such a –’

Mia glared at him. ‘What? Bitch? I’m not a bitch. I’m a woman with a shattered heart who has lost her sister and best friend and all the while, instead of falling apart and crying into my pillow, I’m working to keep a roof over our bloody heads.’

Mia grabbed her pillow and stormed down the stairs. She pulled the spare duvet out of the hall cupboard and flung herself onto the couch.

‘What are you doing?’ Johnny asked from the doorway.

‘Go away.’

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