The Heartbreak Factor - Part Four

Chapter Twenty-One.

Getting into the taxi, I clipped Katy into the car seat whilst George put our luggage in the boot, or as the Americans call it, the trunk of the car. “You’re one of the luckiest babies around, aren’t you, Miss Shelley?” I smiled down to her as she looked up at me, looking exhausted from the flight. “Not many thirteen month old babies can say they’ve travelled to New York to see their daddy perform on the most famous stage in the world with her uncles, can they?”

As George climbed into the front seat and gave the taxi driver the hotel’s address, I sat down beside Katy. Driving through the streets of the Big Apple, I looked at the landmarks in awe. Turning around, I saw the taxi that had Josh, JJ, Jaymi, Olly, Elle and Chloe in it. In no time at all, we had arrived at the hotel and checked in. 

The hotel was just off Times Square and the hotel room that George had been assigned had an amazing view of Times Square. As I sat down on the bed, I looked at Katy as she slept in the car seat. 

“George,” I paused as he walked into the bedroom after putting some stuff in the bathroom. “I want to take her to the memorial at Ground Zero.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” he smiled. 

“She’s way too young to understand but one day I will tell her about my dad.”

“Good,” he said, wrapping his arms around me as he stood in front of me and brought me into him to have a hug. “She needs to know how her grandfather was a hero.” 

“Come on,” I smiled, crawling up the bed as I had hold of George’s hand, dragging me with him. “Let’s sleep. I’m shattered.”

*

Pushing Katy’s pushchair down the pavement at the memorial area at Ground Zero, I smiled. Katy looked around, completely oblivious as to where she was or why we were here, but I still felt as if it was a good idea. She wouldn’t understand any of it at all - she was far too young - I didn’t expect her to understand. But it made me feel a little bit better knowing she knew what happened to her granddad, after all, he was my hero.

Stopping just by the part of the memorial where my dad’s name was engraved, George turned to look at me. I nodded, letting him know I was okay.

“Come here, you!” I smiled, picking Katy up from the pushchair and straightening out her dress as I held onto her in my arms. “God, you’re getting big!”

As Katy grinned away in my arms, making up her baby jibberjabber as she hadn’t quite grasped the concept of talking yet, I looked at George.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” I smiled. “Katy, this is my daddy’s name.”

I held her closer to the memorial and ran my finger across the engraving. 

“Granddaddy!” she beamed.

“Yeah, that’s right,” I laughed. “Your granddad isn’t with us anymore - but he is watching down on us.”

“So he can see when you’re misbehaving,” George joked.

I grinned. “Yeah, but more importantly, he’s watching out for us.”

“You’re his girls,” George smiled, putting his arm around me as he looked at Katy, who smiled back at him. “Just like you’re my girls too.”

*

As I sat leaning against the wall of their dressing room, I watched the boys as they finished getting sorted for tonight’s performance. Josh was too busy spraying his hair with hair spray; JJ was too busy readjusting the collar of his shirt; Jaymi was too busy squirting after shave all over him; and George was too busy making sure he looked good from every angle to notice the huge grin that was spread across my face. I continued to watch them as they fretted about in front of the mirror for a few more moments.