Maddie Jackson and Lena Summers were in the waiting room of Rush Green Hospital in Romford, waiting for news. Jackie's backache had been the onset of labour, and she was now causing untold aggravation to everyone in her orbit.

Rush Green had a special baby unit, and they were both concerned for their grandchild. It seemed that the child might be breech and Jackie, being Jackie, was screaming the place down.

For the first time ever the two women were in accord, they both felt that Jackie was making far more of it than there actually was. Both women had given birth at home, then got up and cooked a dinner within twenty-four hours.

Like their mothers before them, they saw childbirth as a natural occurrence, unlike the girls of the day, who saw pregnancy as some kind of illness. Saw it as an excuse not to work, not to do anything heavy.

And Jackie acting like she was the only person ever to have a child was irritating them both no end. Her screams echoed the length and breadth of the hospital, and, as they both agreed, it wasn't like she had not done it before.

'Can you hear her?' Maddie's voice was angry and even though Lena was in agreement she had to show some kind of loyalty.

'She wants her husband, that's what wrong with her.' It was said in a nasty, arrogant, 'your son is in the wrong' kind of way.

Maddie laughed then and said. 'Wants her husband? Didn't we all?'

The truth of the statement made Lena want to smile. They were both thinking of lonely births with husbands who had gone out to celebrate and not come home for three days. That was, to them, how it should be. It was women's work – why try to make the men interested in something they could never be interested in by their very nature? The two women started to laugh then, and a few minutes later when a nurse brought in a pot of tea they drank it together in peace.

Even Jackie's screaming and swearing didn't affect them, as they had decided to pretend they didn't know her until the child was delivered.

They wouldn't do that, of course, but for now they were both enjoying the respite.

Tommy Halpin was nervous, and this was a completely new concept to him.

He had always felt in charge of his life. Every decision he had ever made was for a reason, either to further his career, or to squeeze as much money as he could out of the low lifes he used for his own ends.

Until now, even though he had mixed with these people on a regular basis, he had always felt that as he was the major contributor to their little arrangements, he was safe. They needed him far more than he needed them.

He had felt important enough never to consider the way he treated them. Unlike his governor, who had a rapport with those he dealt with, Halpin had always felt that he was letting himself down by associating with these people, let alone making out they were friends. Even though these were the men who, after all, were paying his real wages. The wages that provided his family with all the little extras they had come to expect from him.

But tonight the atmosphere was different, it was charged somehow. From the minute Freddie had sat down opposite him Halpin had sensed something was off kilter. Suddenly he felt like an outsider, like the kid at school who tried to be in with the main crowd and could only achieve it by selling out his friends and ultimately himself.

This was not a good feeling for him, it was too close to home. Plus he had drunk a lot of Scotch while he had been waiting, so he was also worried that mentally he was not the full ten shillings. He felt unable to control the situation, something that had rarely happened to him in his life. He was, as his wife said in private, a control freak.

The sad thing was that he was disliked by most of the people in his orbit. Police colleagues and the criminals he dealt with all had that in common. Tommy Halpin was an arrogant bully who had never listened to anyone's advice and had always considered himself far too clever by half to listen to anyone else's opinions.

When his governor had shown him the ropes, he had always stressed the main rules: never get pissed on the job, no matter how comfortable you felt with the people you were with; never forget you were dealing with criminals and that they lived by a different set of rules to everyone else; and no matter how nice they were to your face, you could never really be a part of their circle by the very nature of the job you did. To them you would always be a filth, and a bought filth at that.

He knew what he had said was true and he had listened accordingly, all the time thinking that his boss was stating the obvious. He wished he had listened to him properly. He had also told him, watch your back, and never put moody money in the bank, it was too easy to trace. Never leave cash in the house and never buy a car that was under two years old. His main chant, though, had been, never relax, remember who you are dealing with and treat them like you would a rabid dog. You are only useful to them while you can provide a service that they need. His governor had made a big deal about it all, because if he had a capture he would automatically take all his work mates down with him.

The enormity of this was only just seeping into Halpin's consciousness, the extent of his treachery was finally sinking in. If he had a capture, no one he associated with would ever be trusted again. It was this one fact that made his governor so paranoid. Every honest collar they had felt would automatically be suspect, if they were proved to be on the take. Now, he finally understood his governor's paranoia about what they were doing and his constant reminders of the seriousness of their situation.

He had forgotten the golden rule, that he was only a means to an end for these people. That there were plenty more where he came from.

Maggie had arrived at the hospital and had automatically taken over from Lena and Maddie. Maggie could handle Jackie and her sympathy was in place, it had not been worn out yet by her sister's constant swearing.

'Where is that fucking bastard!'

Maggie didn't answer her, instead she folded up the bedding from the floor and placed it on a chair.

When a doctor came in another volley of abuse was spewed at him and he retreated without saying a word.

Maggie sighed. 'You have to be the stupidest cunt on the planet, Jackie, do you know that?'

Jackie's head snapped towards her little sister in shock. 'What did you call me?'

Maggie sat on the chair. The bedding was more comfortable than the plastic seat and she appreciated that. She had been on her feet all day at the salon and she was tired out.

'Oh, don't give me the shocked looks, it's your favourite word, you've called all the nurses and the doctor it. When are you going to grow up, Jack?'

She pointed at the dishevelled woman angrily. 'That baby is in distress. If it's breech then they need to sort it out and if anything happens to it because of your antics, Freddie will go mad.'

She waited while her sister digested this bit of logic before she carried on. 'We are trying to track him down, but whether he arrives or not, that child has got to be born so why don't you shut up, stop all this showing off and let the people here get on with the jobs they are paid to do?'

She was calmer now, and Jackie was listening. Maggie knew that the mention of her husband would bring her round.

'But it hurts, Maggie.'

Maggie smiled sadly. ''Course it hurts, it hurt the other three times and all, remember? So let them help and for fuck's sake act your age, not your bloody shoe size!'

It was a silly saying of Maggie's and they both smiled then.