Hi, so here is another chapter and I want to thank you all so much for your kind words and reviews.

This chapter has a bit more Granddad in it but he is seriously a joy to write so therefore he'll probably keep cropping up.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine just the character of Isla.

Please Read and Review.

Glory Days

Chapter 3-Rough And Tumble

Billy's baby is born, Isla gets a new family member, Martina gets a new headache and Aveline runs away from home.

Isla had walked home from school in silence to see utter chaos unfolding.

This was not unusual whenever the Boswell's were all in residence but it was unusual to see the police outside. Grandad was there waving his stick at the bird in his cage and she slipped up next to him.

"Hello Grandad"

He jumped and peered down at her scowling through his glasses.

"Oh it's you is it? What you doing home this early?"

"It's past three Grandad school's out"

"Thought Joey said you weren't supposed to be out walking the streets"

"At night Granddad. He aint got a problem during the day"

"Hmm…well…if you want my opinion you young ones get treated far to lightly these days. I never had time to wander the streets of Birmingham at all hours of the day did I? I went straight to school to work to home and never had any choice in the matter"

"You have a choice now Granddad"

"Only a choice between freezing to death and starving. One cake is all I got for a snack! One! The way things are going I'm going to have to cut off my own arm and eat it at this rate. It's like being back in the war all over. Though then the government knew that you had to provide. Now it's all give, give, give, take, take, take. No thought—"

"What's with the police and the ambulance?" she asked cutting across him. While Dad had always said it was impolite to interrupt Grandad bitter, bitter experience had taught her the signs of a full blown rant coming on.

"That Julie's having your Uncle's baby. Went into labour about an hour ago. Your Dad's over there trying to get her to open the door because she doesn't want any of us around her. Understandable. The last thing you want as your giving birth is Billy peering down at you making comments about how disgusting it is. Besides he panicked. Went over for a glass of the good stuff with your Granny. Been there for a while so he's probably half cooked by now. And to top it all off nobody's bought my lunch!"

"And the police?"

"Something to do with Aveline. Your Granny hitting the panic button again no doubt. I think she's squirring away some of that petty cash to build a bomb shelter in the back yard. Anyway go and get my tea before I die of starvation. God knows nobody else here seems to care about me"

Isla nodded and began to plod towards the house when the door opened and Uncle Jack and Uncle Billy both staggered out of the house and flew towards their respective cards. The smell coming of them both was so strong that Isla felt slightly sick.

Two seconds later her Granny came out and screamed at the top of her lungs in such a tone that if it hadn't involved dropping her bag on the floor Isla would have covered her ears.

"Joey, get after those two their drunk!"

Isla took in her Dad who seemed to leap towards his car (followed closely by the two coppers) and then she turned to her Grandma who was fanning herself with her hand.

"Oh hello Isla love." She said seeing Isla standing there. "Come in and I'll fetch you a snack"

"I can take it with Grandad's tray if you want and stay there. That way you can get a taxi down to the hospital and make sure that Uncle Billy isn't thrown in the clink."

Her Granny caught her eye and then smiled. "You're a good girl Isla. Bit cheeky but a good girl"

"I know Gran" Isla said keeping her face straight. "And when Mongy knocks up another pedigree can I keep the puppy?"

"More cheeky than good girl, more cheeky than good."

But she was smiling as she said and Isla knew that her grandmother was more pleased than angry. Two grandchildren born out of wedlock (whatever that was) might be two more than she wanted but she still had two grandchildren and it was two more than that Mrs Cullen had across the street.

She took Grandad's tray piled with biscuits and tea and took them next door. Thankfully the door was open and once she put the tray down and dropped her bag on the floor Grandad poured the tea and passed her the one chocolate chip cookie on the tray.

"So another little baby. Suppose everyone's happy"

"I suppose" Isla shrugged. "Do you think it matters—"

"Doesn't matter if that baby has a mother or not" her Grandad said. Isla looked at him and he gave her one of his rare smiles.

"Your too much like Joey. He wears his worries on his face as well. So I'll tell you what I think. There is no difference between you and that baby. Your both Boswell's. You've both got a family around you that loves you and wants to protect you. And just because your mother was selfish enough to leave you doesn't mean that everyone else is"

And with that he turned back to his biscuit.

Isla took a sip of tea.

"Why did she leave Grandad?"

"Because she was selfish"

"I mean—"

"I know what you mean. I know it because Joey asked me the same question. And I'll give you the same answer I gave him. You have a child you either give it away at birth to a family that wants it or you stay and raise it. You don't string along it's father for six months and then disappear. If you want my opinion Isla, you and Joey are well shot of the woman"

It was the longest speech she had ever heard from her Grandad, Isla thought and she took another sip of tea thinking quietly.

"So it doesn't matter?"

"Course not. You can be a member of the Royal Family or a member of a working class family if you want to be. Losing that mother of yours did you more favours than it did loss. I told Joey as much. Besides I think we both know that he's done a great job—well if you get over the fact you've got more cheek in you than the Leader of the Opposition"

As Isla did not know who that was she didn't know what to say to it. Instead she found herself hugging him though it was a bit difficult because he was still sat in his chair. She thought that come hell or high water he was still going to be sat in that chair. When the end came like so many people thought her Grandad would still be sat in his chair moaning about when his next cup of tea was and Isla found that she loved him for it.

"Oh give over" he said shaking her loose. "Honestly. All this fuss. Pour me another cup of tea and have done with it. Honestly. I remember the good old days when we didn't get this nampy, pampy, wishy, washy feelings rubbish. And get your shoes off. This carpet costs the DHSS more than your entire months supply of pocket money"

Isla kicked off her shoes and sat down back on the chair her legs crossed under her. She wouldn't want to admit it but this simple conversation with her grandfather had done wonders for the nerves that were swirling around inside of her.

Now it wasn't a hurricane more like a gentle wind.

All in all that was much better.

And that was where her father found her when he came back to tell her that she had a little baby cousin.

"And another girl to boot" her Grandad said into his teacup. "God help the bloody neighbours. Your mother must be delighted. Tell her to get a move on with me tea will you? A man of my age needs a good meal under his belt before I fade away into nothingness"

"Yeah well, we're bring your tea over to your Grandad when Mam's made it. I think today she's going to cook some roast lamb. Really go for it"

"Hmm…well…go on then. It's going to be sundown in a bit. At this rate it's going to be the last one I ever see before I die of starvation"

Aveline had ran away from home and then had gone to their father which did not do wonders for their mother's temper but considering she'd just had a grandchild born, another one and there was a good chance that Billy and Julie would get their act together (though Joey really, really doubted it) and she was in a good enough mood to send Jack to pick up Aveline and be somewhat semi civil to their father.

All in all it was a good day.

Isla was a clingy that night and Joey didn't know why but he had a feeling.

Roxy.

Sometimes his daughter got like that whenever things happened that reminded her of her mother. She got clingy. She got needy and Joey didn't mind it. In fact a part of him loved the extra hugs and the extra story time it took to get Isla to sleep. His daughter was growing up so fast, she was almost seven and soon she would be eight and then he knew that he would be looking for Secondary Schools and that thought sent a shiver down his spine.

He was so not ready for that.

Eventually though she fell asleep and he watched the eyelashes flutter against her cheeks for a second and thought again just how Roxy could walk away from this child and what on Earth he was going to do if she decided one day she wanted to come back. He still loved her, there was still some part of her that held a small fraction of love for her. It was gone almost but times like this it came back.

But she wasn't going back and he thought as he got dressed for bed and slipped under the covers his whole body almost crying for sleep, that it was time now. It was time to move on.

Surprisingly though he thought about dark curls and dark eyes and a snapping wit when he fell asleep. Not Roxy.

He didn't think of Roxy at all.

Martina got herself ready for bed methodically. It wasn't hard. She'd had the same skincare routine, the same bedtime routine since she was fifteen and it hadn't changed. She washed her face and brushed her teeth and applied her night cream. She curled her hair and slipped into her bed and though her mattress was lumpy and her duvet thin she found that she was warm tonight for reasons she didn't want to think about.

She had a new headache on the horizon after all but right now in the darkness and the safety of her room she thought that it wasn't really a headache more of a warm feeling inside of her that she wasn't sure she was going to be able to squash out in time.

The picture that Isla Boswell had drawn her was under one of her dinner placemats and she could only really look at it when she was in the mood. She had never thought of children or a husband but she looked at that quick mouthed child's drawing and thought that Isla Boswell was the sweetest and cheekiest girl she had ever met. It didn't help that in the darkness of that room, her bedroom she could say to herself that Joey Boswell had not been standing by when the Good Lord had been handing out looks. She was surprised there wasn't a que for him running round that street and round the Mersey Tunnel twice over.

It was a headache she said to herself sternly. It was a painful headache and it was only going to get worse because nothing could happen and the Boswell's were not the type to take no for an answer. Joey Boswell would come back with some other cock and bull story and that daughter of his would come back and with some statement about female empowerment that made Princess Di and Princess Anne look uninspiring.

But she found that she was smiling despite it all. The Boswell's—well the eldest one—always managed to bring out the utter irritation and the utter amusement in her all at the same time. The rest were just…irritants.

Especially Adrian. Adrian made Billy look like a walk in the park.

She turned over and wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders and tried very hard not to think about the future and to will her exhausted mind and body into sleep.

Far away on the other side of Liverpool unbeknownst to her, Joey Boswell was attempting to do much the same thing.

It was a long time before sleep claimed either one of them.

And here you go. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will do my best to bring you the next one sooner rather than later.

Next Chapter-Isla wants girl time and Martina is roped into the conversation making Joey realise that his daughter and the DHSS Lady are...friends of some sort creating shockwaves within the family. Julie leaves Billy.