"Hi, this is Bethan." "I can't get to the phone right now." "Please leave a message." "Hi, it's Ivan." "I got your message." "I'm on my way and I'll get there." "I'm in the car now and..." "It will be about an hour and a half, unless there's traffic." "Now, if the nurses or anybody wants to talk to me," "I'm only on this number." "Or if the doctors or anybody at all, if they need to talk to me, I'll be on this number." "Now, it'll be okay." "I will get there and the traffic should be okay." "Hello, can I speak to Gareth, please?" "He's not back yet." "Can I ask who's calling?" "It's Ivan Locke." " Can I say what it's regarding?" " Yes, concrete." "Can you..." "Can you tell him that it's urgent?" "Can you tell him to call me back?" "Yep." "Does he have your number?" "Yes." "Yes, he does." " Sorry. what was your name again?" " Ivan Locke." " Something about concrete?" " That's right, yes." "Can you..." " Will he know what?" " No, no, he won"t." "Something has come up and I need to tell people." "It's urgent." " Sorry, what?" " I said..." "I said it's urgent." "Very urgent." "Thank you." "Hello?" "Eddie, it's your dad." "Is your mother there?" "No, she's not back from the shops yet." "She's getting that German beer that you like for the match." "Okay." "Listen, I won't be back for that." "What?" "Something's come up." "I can't get out of it." "I'm wearing the shirt." "Mum's getting sausages." "Yeah, and guess what?" "She's wearing the shirt as well." "Dad, it is so embarrassing." "Yeah, what did you say about coming home?" "I won't be back for the match." "I'll have to listen to it on the radio." "Dad, you said you'd be back." "It's rubbish on the radio." "Mum's doing sausages and all." "Is your brother there?" " Yeah." "Do you want a word?" " No." "Just tell..." "Can you just tell your mother to call me when she gets back?" "Thank you." " Yeah, sure." " Eddie, come on." " I love you." " It's started." "What?" "It's okay." "Do you know what?" "Just get her to call me when she gets back." "Thank you." " All right." "Bye, Dad." " Bye, bye." "Ivan Locke." "I just got your message." "It's a joke, is it?" "Look, I know it's a shock, but it will be okay." "Okay" "Yes, well, I will go through everything with you and it'll be okay." "You know where I am, Ivan?" "I'm at the service station." "I'm turning the fucking van around." "I put a few other lads on the hard shoulder." "I was halfway home." " Yeah." " What the fuck's happened?" " It's a family thing." " Right." "Is someone..." "Has..." "Is it a bereavement?" "I don't have a choice." "Is it one of the kids?" "Donal, look, I just need you to fix this up and be all right, okay?" "And solid." "Which you are." "Which you are, okay?" "Just from when the sun comes up tomorrow morning until when it's all been pumped." "I need you to hold it together for me, okay?" "You won't be alone." "I will be on the phone." "I will talk to you every five minutes until the pump is finished." " Talk to me, what, on the phone?" " On the phone." "What?" "Have you gone mad?" "No, I don't think so." "Ivan, at 5:45 tomorrow morning, we have 350 metric tons of wet concrete being delivered to the site." "We've got 200 trucks from all over the fucking country descending on us at 5:45." "355 metric tons and 218 trucks." "Okay, this is a joke, is it?" "I have no choice." "Ivan, look, I hate myself even hearing myself saying this, but if someone has died, like your mother or..." " No one is dead, Donal." " ... just go where you have to go tomorrow after 12:00." "I need you to just do this, okay?" "I need you to be there with enough stuff and the right heads when the sun comes up." "That's it." "Holy fucking Mary!" "I can't." "I'm a fucking concrete farmer." "You've never seen me read anything written down on paper." " I can't..." " You're okay." "Listen, you're okay." "You know how to run a pump, don't you?" "You know how to run trucks back to back and turn trucks back, and you know how to test for slumps." "I've never even shoveled on a pump this big!" "Well, it's the same." "It's just there's more of it." "You just..." "You just do the same but for longer." "You check it, slump it, send it back if it's piss and pump it if it's right." "That's it." " What does Gareth say about this?" " I haven't spoken to him yet." "Well, he's gonna fucking..." "He's gonna..." "He'll go fucking sideways around the houses..." "I know." " ..." "like his arse is on fire." " I know." " I know." " Ivan, you're gonna get the sack." "I know, Donal." "Jesus, you're the best foreman I've ever fucking worked with!" "The best site manager." "What the hell is it that's gonna make you go and risk..." "You're gonna risk the sack?" "Look, I need you to do this for me, Donal, right?" "So, start rounding up some cowboys and then call me back." "I'll be on the road." " Ivan Locke." " Ivan?" "Where are you?" "I just got admitted." "I'm in the labor ward." "It's called Bailey Ward." "Did they say how long?" " I'm five centimeters." " What does that mean?" " Dilated." " I know what that means, but how long?" "I..." "They just..." "They just left me." "I'm on my own." " ls there a bell?" " A what?" "I don't know, a buzzer or something to get a nurse." "They just put their head round and they said it could be hours." "Are you okay?" " I need the loo." " Well, tell them." "Tell them." " Well, there's no one here." " Well, is there a bell?" "They don't have bells." "What do you mean?" "When they put their head around the door, you tell them that you need the lavatory." "It's like a pain I've never had right inside, all the way up to my chest." "Have you talked to anyone about the pain?" "No, what..." "What do you mean?" "Ivan, what do you mean?" "I'm saying, have you talked to anybody about stopping the pain?" " Have you deemed'?" " Well, they said let's see." "Well, just have whatever there is, seriously." " What?" " I don't know." "For the pain." "Because it's fucking..." "Jesus, it's..." "It's cold and all the windows are open." "Tell them to close the windows." "And the traffic is okay." "Go to the lavatory." "I'll be there." "Have you even told your wife that someone's having your baby?" "I'm about to do that." "I have..." "I have a list of things that I have to do tonight while I'm driving." " So, am I on a list?" " Yes." "Tonight, yes." "Do you love me?" "That's a question you're asking probably because of the pain or something." "How could I love you?" "I..." "Hell." "Hi, love." " Hello, Katrina." " Hi, love." "Look, I got you six of the German lagers and I got sausages." "I thought we could have hot dogs again." "And guess what?" "I am finally wearing the shirt." "Ivan?" "Did Eddie not give you the message?" " What message?" " I'm not coming home." "What?" "What do you mean?" "It's the match." "I'm wearing the shirt." "Which phone are you on?" " What do you mean?" " I can hear the TV." "Can you take this call upstairs, on the phone upstairs?" "Upstairs?" "Why?" "I have something..." "I have something to say." "Well, can't it wait until you get home?" "I won't be home." "What's happened?" "Will you just..." "Will you get to the phone upstairs?" "What's happened?" "Just go to the phone in the bedroom and I'll tell you what's happened." "Okay" "Sean, when I shout, put the phone down, please." " Hey, Dad, are you coming back?" " Eddie." "Yeah, I'm talking to your mother." "He hasn't put any wingers on and he's put Caldwell back on again." "Hello?" "Eddie, will you put the phone down, please?" "Dad, I can't believe the team he's picked." "Eddie, please, can you put the phone down, please?" "Eddie." "So, go on, tell me." "What is it?" "Last year, this job..." "You know, the job in Croydon." "Do you remember?" "I was up and down there for three months." "Remember?" "Yes." "I stayed in the guesthouse, the one that had..." "It had bad damp, I said." "Remember?" "The..." "Yeah." "They gave me an assistant." "She worked with me on the block construction." " She?" " She was a secretary, quite old." "We..." "We worked together." "She's quite old and she lives on her own." "She's 43 or something." "She's..." "Why are you telling me about some woman?" "This is the only time I ever did this, Katrina." "The only time." "Look, after the block was settled in, there were some drinks to celebrate." "Now, the block going in is a big thing because it's the base of a whole building." "And she came back to the guesthouse." "She isn't what you would call an oil painting, but it was wet and cold, and she talked about being lonely and I talked about being happy." "But I'm lonely sometimes, you know, when I was away, and..." "And there was this wine and..." "This was the only time I did this in all our 15 years." "And now tonight she's giving birth." "Tonight she's giving birth and it's mine." "Ivan Locke." "Yeah, it's Gareth, Ivan." "I just spoke to Donal." "This had better be more than good!" "Hello, Gareth." "Speak to me only about tomorrow morning, Ivan." "Right, well..." "I won't be on site for the pump tomorrow." "Sweet monkey Jesus!" "This is not happening." "The truth is, tonight I'm going to become a father." "And she's in London, so I have to be there." "Okay, Okay" "Jesus!" "I'm just gonna read you something, Ivan." " Are you listening?" " Yes." ""Good luck tomorrow with the pour." ""We just had it confirmed by CGO" ""that this will be the biggest single concrete pour" ""ever made in Europe outside of nuclear military projects." ""I know the day is in the safest of hands." "Best wishes, Mitchell."" "That is Mitchell Dean himself, the president of the whole fucking company." "Did you hear that, Ivan?" "From Chicago, USA." "Yes." "You're gonna have to speak up, Ivan." "I can't hear you." "Yes, I heard." "And so, you're the man in charge of the entire operation, but with 10 hours to go, you've decided you ain't gonna be there!" "Well, Donal will handle it and he's a good man." "Don't you fucking dare say that to me!" "Don't you fucking dare give qualitative appraisals on my staff and say "good man," like he's going off to buy a fucking ice cream!" "Jesus, this is fucking concrete." "Like shit, Ivan." "Like piss." "When it comes, you pump it." "Like babies." "Shit." "This is a joke to you." "No, no." "Right now nothing is a joke anymore." "Oh, God!" "And so, it's not your wife giving birth?" "No." " Jesus!" " It's someone else." "Ivan!" "You're the last person on earth..." "Yes, I know, I am the last person on earth, but it happened." "And this woman, she can't just..." "She can't give birth on her own?" "I have made a decision." "There is nobody else who could be with her, okay?" "She has no friends in London and is quite a fragile person." "Fragile!" "You're gonna abandon the biggest fucking concrete pour in Europe to hold someone's fucking hand because she's fragile?" "And because the baby was caused by me." "That is my decision I have made." "I have not behaved in the right way with this woman at all." "I have behaved in a way that isn't like me." "But now I am going to do the right thing." "What, and Chicago can go to fucking hell?" "It is a decision that I have made." "I'm not gonna turn back." "Do you know how many millions of pounds are riding on tomorrow?" "If any one of those pumps fucks up, Ivan, we are facing 10 million pounds worth of losses in 15 minutes." "So if we get that 15 minutes for the whole morning, a total shutdown," "$100 million." " Are you still there, Ivan?" " Yes, yes." "Look, I have no explanation." "Apart from the one that I've given you." "But, Gareth, listen..." "I have made a pledge to myself that I will not allow the pour to fuck up." "This is a joke!" "Are you wearing a fucking red nose?" "This is a fucking joke, Ivan." "I'm gonna call Chicago, right?" "If it weren't for the fact that you've been so solid for us for so many years," "I'd fire you down the phone." "Ivan, have you lost your fucking mind?" "I have made my decision." "What the fuck are you looking at?" "You're laughing, aren't you?" "Laughing at my predicament." "It's a familiar predicament to a man like you, isn't it, Dad, eh?" "You think, "There he is, look." "Like father, like son." ""There's the man I made." What is it they say?" ""The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."" "Well, that's where you're wrong." "Listen to me, you fucking piece of worthless shit." "I want you to watch." "Do you know, in fact, I would like to take a fucking shovel and dig you up out of the fucking ground and make you watch me tonight." "I would pull open your eyes and kick the mud and worms and shit out of your fucking ears just for the duration of this journey." "Because it's me driving." "Me, not you." "And, unlike you, I will drive straight to the place where I should be, and I will be there to take care of my..." "To take care of my fuck-up." "Yes, Donal." "Okay, okay, I'm driving back now so I'm gonna be quick." "I called Ryan and I got half a dozen Poles off him, and I got some Hungarians from Patrick." "I've got breakfast tickets for the concrete farmers, and the shutter boys are done, apart from the fucking-about with the clips." "I've asked Albanian Alby to test the pumps on the Argyll side, and he said that they're pissing it out." "No, listen..." "Okay, stop, stop, stop." "Listen, when you get back on site, you check every pump yourself, individually and with your own hand on the turner." "You don't ask anybody else to check and sign off." "You go around the whole site and you check each one yourself." "And you don't trust Alby after 5:00 because he drinks, okay?" " Okay, okay." " Now, will you talk to me about the mix?" "The mix..." "Yeah, the mix." "Did we say C6?" "Don't say that like it's a question." "Okay, yes, okay." "Sometimes I say things and it sounds like a question and it's not a question." "Well, all the mixes for the pump will be C6." "Why do you even ask?" " It's written on the whiteboard..." " I'm not asking." "...in fucking giant letters." "I put "C6" all over the cabin in big red letters." " Slump of one inch, C6." " Okay." "Don't ask me questions like that." "I'm not asking a question." "I know you don't like questions." "Fucking hell!" "All right, what time are you unlocking?" "I don't know." "I'm gonna sleep here tonight." "Good, good, except you don't sleep, okay?" "Check everything." "You've got the client sign-off?" "Yeah, yeah, and the client sign-off on the gates." "That's what I mean, the gate sign-off." "Donal, the construction sign-off should already be filed." "Yes, it is." "It's already..." "It's already filed, it's okay." "That's what I meant." "Okay, right." "Well, you have the phone numbers of the plants, don't you?" " Yeah." " Call them now, Donal." "Call every one of those bastards, get them to repeat the order." "C6 on the nose or we send those trucks back." "Seriously, those fuckers will fuck you up with the water in the gullies if it rains tomorrow." "Well, it's not gonna rain tomorrow." "It's gonna be dry." "I've got a direct line to God up in heaven, you know." "Donal, you don't trust God when it comes to concrete." "You call the plants, Donal," " every one of them." " I will, okay." "And get them to fax the order back so you can check it." "I will." "I'll do that." "I'll do that now." "Did you speak to Gareth?" "Yes, I did, actually." "He's calling Chicago." "I'm guessing Chicago's going to fire me and he'll put some fucking kid on it, so..." " No, no, no." " Don't take his calls." "Just don't take his calls." " Don't listen to anybody else." " I can't not take his calls." "Don't take his calls." "Don't listen to anybody else until the morning." "This is me and you, okay?" "So, I'm not gonna answer his calls?" "No." "Just me and you till the morning, okay?" " Okay." " Cool." "Fucking hell, okay." "Hello." "This is Bethan." "I'm afraid I can't get to the phone." " Did you call?" " Are you okay?" "Yeah." "Someone closed the windows." "Did you talk to anyone about the pain?" " No, no one's been in." " But is everything all right?" "No." "It hurts like nothing ever." "Okay, well, I'm on the M6." "An hour and a quarter if the traffic stays okay." "You must speak to someone about the pain." "Just then I felt like I hate you." "Well, we don't know each other, Bethan." "That's the simple truth." " This thing just happened." " Thing?" "So we can't really love each other or hate each other, can we?" "This thing just happened and that's it." "And it will go up and down, I suppose, but at least I'm coming, okay?" "Do you..." "Do you hate me for going through with it?" "I don't know you, so..." "I don't hate you, do I?" "I mean..." "I don't know you, so..." "Look, do what they tell you to do." "I have a lot of calls to make." "The traffic is fine so it'll be okay." " Please be quick." " Yes, but there's a speed limit." " Hello, Gareth." " Yeah, look." "Chicago is having a predictable meltdown." "Is it?" "Okay." "Yeah, I gave them..." "I gave them the whole 10-year thing about your 10 years working for Park without a foot wrong." "Nine years." "I've been with you nine years." " What?" " Nine years." "Yeah, the whole thing, Ivan." "He said he goes on emotion." "He said the stuff about the biggest pour in Europe." "Outside the nuclear and military, I know, I know." "Well, I'll tell you what, Ivan..." "You're fired, is what it is." "They said they had no choice." "I said..." "I told them about the 10 years." " Nine years." " But they said they had no choice." "Yeah." "Nine, 10, whatever." "So it's okay." "It's okay." " I never do this on the phone, Ivan." " It's okay." "It's okay." "I will still make sure the pour is all right." "No, Ivan, it's..." "It's not a matter for negotiation." "They've decided you're fired, completely, as of right this second." "I know, I heard you, and I don't blame them, okay?" "But I'm not trying to keep my job." "I just..." "I just want the pour to go okay tomorrow." " Ivan..." " Listen to me." "You listen to me." "I want the pour to go okay, not because of the money." "I want it to go right for myself and for the building." "Right?" "And for the concrete." "I won't let it be pumped into the wrong place." "Do you understand?" "Tonight and tomorrow, I will stay on this and stay on this and make sure the concrete gets poured right." "Ivan, listen, I told them about the 10 years." " Fuck your 10 years." " They weren't having any of it." "Listen to me, Gareth..." "Listen, Gareth." "The concrete will come and I will take care of it, okay?" "I know I don't have a job anymore, but I will do this anyway as a favor to the building and to the concrete." " Ivan, you sound different." " I am the same." "Why didn't you just say you were sick?" "Because I'm not sick, and I'll make sure the pour is okay." "Yeah, but I've already handed it over to another construction director." "Ivan, he's gonna pick it up from..." "Katrina?" "That didn't happen." "I'm not believing it." "Katrina, I want to move to a practical next step." "I'm here in the dark in our bedroom and..." "Oh, God, nothing looks the same." "Ivan?" "I can't..." "I can't speak very well." "I..." "I have felt scraped-out for months." "She phoned and said that she was having a baby and keeping it because it was her last chance to be happy." "And then tonight she phoned and said the waters broke and it's two months early." "I was..." "I was going to tell you before, but the waters broke early, so I have to do this now in the car." " Every night I was going to tell you." " God, I can't..." "I can't really breathe." "Katrina, listen." "You know what happened with my dad, right?" "And how that bastard wasn't around for me." " Didn't even give me a fucking name." " No, no, you're confused." "Ivan, it's you that's the bastard." "It's the baby that's the bastard." "For God's sake, Ivan, at least get the word right." "Katrina, listen." "No, I will give the baby my name and it will see my face." "It will know and it won't spend its life thinking..." "You know, thinking that nobody..." "I've closed the door and I'm in the dark, and I'm almost sure this isn't you." "Please don't be you." "I know, I should have said all this a long time ago." "I'm so..." "I have behaved not at all like myself." " I suppose I gotta get up." " Katrina, please, don't go." " I have to throw up again." " Please, don't..." " Donal?" " Okay." "Ivan?" "This isn't a question." "This isn't a question, okay?" "But I just got off the phone with the plant in Stafford, and they said they know that it's a C6 mix, but how far towards C5 can it go?" "In other words, if one truck had some C5, how bad would that be taken?" "Are you still there?" "Donal, what does it say on the whiteboard?" "On the..." "It says C6." "What does it say on every piece of paperwork and on every sign-off sheet?" " It says C6." " It says C6." "And you know why?" "Because, eventually, when my building is complete, it will be 55 floors high." "It will weigh 2,223,000 metric tons." "Okay?" "My building will alter the water table and squeeze granite." "It will be visible from 20 miles away." "At sunset, it will cast a shadow probably a mile long." "Now, if the concrete at the base of my building is not right, if it slips half an inch, cracks appear." "Right?" "If cracks appear, then they will grow and grow, won't they?" " And the whole thing will collapse." " Ivan, look..." "You make one mistake, Donal, one little fucking mistake, and the whole world comes crashing down around you." "Do you understand?" "So you tell Stafford, C6." " C6 it is." " Thank you." " Kat, please, listen." " Hey, Dad." " What?" " Yeah, we're 1-nil down." "Is your mother there?" "Damn." "Mum." " Sean, will you go and get Mum?" " I'm watching the match." "Stupid penalty." "Are you listening on the radio?" " Is that Dad?" " No." "No." "Tell him they've scored." "Dad, she's on the toilet, I think." " Eddie..." " Yeah?" " What?" " It's okay." "Don't worry about it." "It's fine." "Listen, I'll talk to you when it all settles down, okay?" " All right." " Okay." " Cool." "Bye, Dad." " Bye, Eddie." "Bye-bye." "Ivan Locke." "Hello, this is Sister Margaret from St. Mary's maternity unit." "Is everything okay?" "I'm with Bethan Maguire." "Is it your partner?" "I am the father." "She's quite distressed, and we were wondering if someone was gonna be with her for the birth." "She said she doesn't have anyone else." "Yes." "I'm an hour away, I think, if the traffic's okay." "Is she all right?" " Well, there's a complication." " What is the complication?" "It's a complication with the umbilical cord, and it means there will be a procedure, and it would help if Dad was around." " You are Dad?" " Yes, yes, I am." "I'm driving." "I'm doing 90." "Well, please don't drive dangerously or anything." "I won't." "Listen, I will be there very shortly." "Good." "Okay, well, she's with the consultant at the moment." "I just wanted to make sure someone was coming." "Yes, Well, I will, I'll be there." "Good." "So what you need to do is use the emergency entrance" " and ask for Bailey Ward." " Bailey?" "Okay, I will do." "She's very emotional." "Well, she isn't used to being emotional, I think." "I think she's normally a very quiet person." " You are her partner?" " I am the father." "I don't..." "I don't know her too well, if you want the truth." "But I'm coming." " She's very afraid." " I understand that." "I'm driving." "Yes, Donal." "Right, I've checked all the 12 pumps myself and they're all pissing it out." " Good." "You are testing with C6?" " Yes, yeah, I see only C6." " And you called all the plants?" " Yeah, I called all the plants." "And just so you know, they all gave me dog's abuse for checking." "Excellent, and they have the trucks lined up and the mix is in?" "Yes, yeah, yeah." "I ticked off each response after all the fuck-yous and piss-offs," " and it came to 6,500 cubic meters." " Okay." "What about the retardant?" "The retardant's on site already, ready to go into the trucks." " Good." "Now, do you have a pen'?" " I have a pencil." "Well, get a pen." "Okay, I have a pen." "Good." "Now, in the top right-hand drawer above the blow-heater, you'll find my folder." "Get it." "It's going to be your bible tonight." "Okay" " I don't see any folder." " Yes, no, it's there." "It's there." "Okay?" "It's got everything that you're going to need in there." "Right?" "All the numbers, the sign-offs, the road closures that you have to confirm with the police." "Now, it's in the drawer above the blow-heater." "Well, the blow-heater was taken by the fucking Hungarians." "You'd think they'd be used to the cold, wouldn't you?" "Donal, you do know which drawer that I mean, right?" "It's not here." "I've checked all the drawers." "Well, it is..." "Fuck." "What?" "What?" " Fuck off." " What?" "Me?" "No, not you." "I have it here." "Shit!" "All the things you are going to need, and I have it fucking here in my car." "Well, I've never..." "You know, Ivan, in all the 10 years I've known you," "I've never..." "I've never known you to fuck up like this." "What the fuck's going on?" "Okay, Donal..." "Will you just give me some time to think?" "Fuck!" "Are you okay?" "Okay?" "Okay?" "Kat, please." "Just hear what I want to say..." "Of all the things in the world, I never thought of you doing this!" " Katrina, don't let the boys hear." " You fucked some girl." " Quietly, quietly." " You fucked her and then me." "I looked at my diary and I checked." "I remember when you got home from Croydon that weekend, and you had a big stupid grin on your face." "The block was in." "I was happy with it." " And I sit in the dark." " It was once." "Once!" "The difference between once and never is the whole world." "The difference between never and once is the difference between good and bad." " I know that." " You don't know." " I know." " No, you don't know anything." "I know." "Yeah, yeah, no." "You had a big stupid grin that night." "It was work." "The block was down." " You fucked someone." " It was an odd night." "There wasn't really a bad thought in anybody's head." " You had a big fucking grin." " That isn't it." "Yeah, like you'd won something." "I remember you smiling and putting your coat on the stairs." "I thought you'd won something." "I was trying to be normal." "I can't remember." "Look, the block was in." "And that stuff about the baby." "You think she's having a baby?" "Yes, she's having the baby tonight." "Is she?" "Forget that." "You're a clown." "Forget that." "You're a stupid clown." "You think it's yours?" "Why would it be yours if she fucks everybody?" "She doesn't." "If she fucks you, she fucks everybody." "She isn't like that." "She had given up on having anything." "I can't believe it's me and you and we're talking about somebody else." "Like somebody broke into the house." "I just..." "I can't..." "I want to talk about a practical next step." "Did you say she's not like that?" "You were with her one night and you know her?" "You have a call waiting." "She doesn't do that." "She hadn't for years." "Okay?" "Afterwards she was sad." "Did you say sad?" " Yes'?" " I think we got cut off." "Shit." "Okay, yes." "I have the file here." "Hang on a second." "Okay, I have the file here." " Right." " I'm going to have to give you some information over the phone, and you're going to have to write it down, okay?" "Okay" "Donal, are you drinking something?" "What are you drinking?" "A nice bottle of fizzy pop." "Okay, I need you to call the duty officer at Belmount Police Station and confirm some road closures for the morning, okay?" "Do you still have the pen?" " Yeah." " Right, okay." "Here are the roads we agreed with the council that need to be closed to traffic for the duration of the pour, which is from 5:25 a.m. to midday." "Yeah, okay, go." "Crescent Road between Arch Green and Claremount." "Crescent Road between Arch Green and Claremount." " Planetree Road at the south end only." " Planetree Road at the south end only, yeah." "The Vale up to Parklands Farm Road." " Okay, yeah." " But with the stop-go operated by us." "Yeah, got that." "You'll need to quote the license number 750..." " 750." " ...slash DV." "Okay?" "Slash DV." "Cool." "Okay." "Got it." "Good." "Donal?" "It is fizzy pop that you're drinking, yes?" "It is." "It is." "Because if you are on the fucking cider and I find out," "I will cut your legs off with a fucking pavement saw." "Will you?" "Right." "Now, Ivan..." "Ivan, listen to me." "There's no need for you to talk to me like that, okay?" "Because I've got six calls here that I'm looking at stacked up on this phone from Gareth, and I'm guessing what they are and what he's saying to me on the phone calls." "But I agreed that I'm not gonna take those phone calls from Gareth because I'm fucking shitting my pants here, you know, about tomorrow going pear, and I don't want him to give me some fucking college kid on the phone" "trying to talk me through this from scratch." "So, as far as I'm concerned, until the sun comes up, yours is the only voice I'm gonna listen to." "But hear this, don't fucking threaten me!" " Okay?" " You have a call waiting." "You have no official position now to threaten me from, so don't fucking threaten me!" "So it is cider that you're drinking?" "One can of cider, yeah!" "So fucking what?" "Eat something." "Do you know what?" "I'm not actually that hungry at the moment." "Okay, now let me get these calls to these fucking Coppers and confirm the road closures, and then I'll call you back for further instructions." "Over and fucking out." "Fuck!" "Right." "Ivan Locke." "They say there's a twist." "A what?" "It's round the baby's neck like a noose." "Well, you're in the best place." "Honestly, you are." "You're in the best place." "They let me use my phone for one minute." " When will you get here?" " About 45 minutes." "I'm outside Northampton." "The traffic is okay." "It's like waiting for God, or..." "Waiting for Godot." "Sorry, you're not a theater man." "And not a reader of books and not a talker." "A builder." "Funny, isn't it?" "It's funny it was someone like you, someone so opposite to me." "All the things I love mean absolutely zero to you." "The important thing is to get the baby out." "Well, the news is, they're resorting to knives." "Well, by the sound of you, they're giving you gas, are they?" "Yeah, they think they might have to cut me open because I'm too old to push." "That's okay, that's okay." "They do that as a routine." "It's okay." "It's better, in fact." ""In fact"?" "Is that so?" "Yes." "The traffic is okay." "They're taking blood." "Well, just do what they say." "And someone keeps opening the window." "Tell them you're cold." "They talk around me." "I need someone here to speak for me." "They said the umbilical cord is like a noose." "A lifeline and a noose at the same time." "It's funny, isn't it?" "Bethan..." "Bethan..." "Bethan?" "Jesus." "You think this is all fate, don't you, Dad?" "Your dirty fucking fingerprints all over me." "You thought it was bound to happen because of the little seeds that you planted." "Okay, well, let me educate you." "Even no matter what the situation is, you can make it good, like with plaster and brick." "You never knew that because you never lifted a finger, you fucking lazy cunt." "But you know what?" "You can take a situation and you can draw a circle around it and find a way to work something out." "You don't just drive away from it." "No." "Or sit in the corner of some greasy little fucking pub somewhere like you're the fucking happy little maverick." "I could come for you with a pick and a shovel, I really could, and dig you up and it would be a happy day in hell because they would be rid of you for a bit." "You know what?" "I could just drive around the M25 and head to Dover or some-fucking-where and not face it, couldn't I?" "Just earn good money, cash in hand, working on the Crossrail." "They make 500 a day just shoveling shit, shoveling shit about like you." "No, I'm going to drive straight to the worst place for me, the worst place on earth for me to be, even though this woman is like..." "She's, like, sad and lonely, hardly bothered with life at all." "I felt sorry for her, you know?" "I felt sorry for her." "So, how can that be the difference between good and bad?" "Yeah!" "Yeah, that was wicked!" "Dad, are you listening to this?" "2-1 to us." "Two goals in three minutes." "Dad, seriously, you gotta put it on the radio." "It's brilliant." " ls your mother there?" " No, she's upstairs on the toilet." "She's been in there ages." "She's wearing the shirt, but she won't come down." "Do you want me to call her?" "No, no, just leave her." "It's okay." "Go on, you enjoy the game." "2-1." "We're winning." "Dad, why aren't you going mad?" "I am, Eddie, I'm going mad inside." "But I'm driving and I'm..." "Come on." "Please." "Answer the phone." "Please, please, please." " Duty desk." " Hello." "PC Davids?" " Speaking." " Yes." "It's Ivan Locke from the Park project." "I was wondering if anyone had called you about road closures." "Yeah, we had some Irish guy." "Said he was standing in." "Good, yes." "I'm just double-checking the closures are all confirmed, yes?" "One minute." "No, there's..." "There's a problem" " with the Vale stop and go." " What?" "There's a problem with the Vale stop and go." "Shit!" "The council, they've questioned the license at the last minute." " Shit." " So..." "I was gonna call them in the morning." " Well, it's too late." " I'm sorry?" "We have to control the road to get the trucks in and out of the south gate." "Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Locke." "You'll have to take that up with the council." " But it's 9:00." " Yeah." "Well, the council offices are closed, aren't they?" "That's right, but I can't ratify until the council sign off on the stop and go." "Okay, no, I understand." "Okay, I understand." "You'll get a call." "How long are you on duty for?" "You have a call waiting." "Well, you've got another 25 minutes." "Okay, look, you'll get a call, okay?" "You'll get a call." "Ivan, we have a problem with the stop and go." "I know, I just heard." "I'm dealing with it." "In the meantime, I need you to go and check the shuttering and get it signed off." "No, the shuttering boys have all gone home." "Even so, you still have to go and check the rebars, don't you?" "Go and do it now." "Take a shovel and a pressure meter and a torch and get into the holes." " Jesus." "Jesus." " I mean it." "Okay, but if this is just to stop me drinking, you can fuck right off." "Listen, I'm hoping your conscience will stop you drinking." "The shuttering has to be checked." "Go..." "Go and do it." "Go." " Hello?" " Sean, it's Dad." "Dad, I can't believe you're not here." "It's amazing. 2-1." "I know, I know." "Sean..." "Sorry." "Sean, I need you to do me a favor." " There's..." " You have a call waiting." "There's been a cock-up at work and I need to speak to someone." "In my blue coat in the kitchen, yes?" "There's a notebook." "There's a phone number in the notebook of somebody called Cassidy who works for the council clerk of works." "I need the number." " Why don't you ask Mum?" " Please..." "Sean, please." "Just get the number." "Text it to me." "Cassidy." "It's under It's very urgent." "Dad, is Mum all right?" "She hasn't come down." "It's half-time." "Sean, in the morning I will talk to you about everything, okay?" "Now, you just get me the number of Cassidy, please." " Hello." "Can I speak to Ivan Locke?" " This is Ivan Locke." "I'm Dr. Halil Gullu." "I'm the senior obstetrician at St. Mary's Hospital." " You have a call waiting." " We have a Bethan Maguire here who's given us this number as the number of her next of kin." " Are you her next of kin?" " What's happening?" "I'm sorry." "Are you the next of kin?" " I am the father." " Excuse me." "Hang on." "I'll deal with that." "Mr. Locke, I'm sorry, we have a situation here where the baby's umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck." " Yes, I know." "Yes." " And the baby is very distressed." "And you're going to carry out a cesarean." "Yes, that's right, but Miss Maguire says she wants to wait until you are here." "Well, she's distressed." "She's quite an odd person, I think." "Look, if we're gonna get her to cooperate, I really need you to speak to her." "Of course you do, absolutely." "Go on, put her on." "Thank you very much." "Please hold the line." " Bethan." " They want to do it now." "Right, well, let them do it." "I've said let them do it." "It doesn't matter if I'm not there for the moment of the birth because I will still be there in the morning, before morning, in fact, and it will still be the same day." " Where are you?" " I'm on the motorway." "Luton." "Now, you let them do it and don't be silly." "Fuck you!" "Ivan, you know I told them it was one night." "I told them about the room and feeling so sad after." " Yes." " But the nurse said," ""If he's coming all this way down, he must feel something."" " If it was just once and I get pregnant..." " You're distressed." "...it's fate." "I told them I love you, even if it was just once." "Well, there's no need to say that." " And it'll be ours." " Yes." "How far away are you?" "Bethan." "Now, a baby is something that cannot be stopped." "You have to take all the practical steps to prepare." " You want me to let them cut me open." " Yes." "I mean, it is the best thing." "Okay." "I'll do it because I love you." "Okay, then." "Can you not say it back, even once?" "No, I can't." "Look..." "I can't." "But I can be there as fast as the traffic will allow." "Ivan, I just found Sean looking through your pockets." " He said you asked him for a phone number." " Yes." "Now, at this moment, you need a phone number?" "I know how it looks, but I need to..." "I need to confirm a stop and go." "Tomorrow there's a pour." "It's a big..." "It is historical." " It is the biggest pour in Europe." " Can you hear yourself, Ivan?" "I'm falling apart at home and you're closing roads?" "It's not a closure, it's a stop and go." "The woman is giving birth and you're closing roads." "Since you've told me about this woman, you have been getting further and further away from who I know." "No, actually, it might be that I do know." "In the..." "In the kitchen, your footprints, they go hard and I have to chip them away." "You leave concrete behind you everywhere." "Katrina, I love you." "Okay?" "I made one mistake." "I don't feel anything for this woman, and I'm trying to do the right thing tonight, because she is on her own and the baby is my fault." "And I know how it feels to be coming out into the world like this." "There is someone being brought into the world and it's my fault." " So I have to fix it, somehow." " Oh, my God." "I would really like it if you would say that you will wait and I can come back and we can talk..." "We can talk about it and that we can fix something up." "I really want to know that tomorrow I can drive home and talk to the boys and be at home as normal, and we can go out or something and have a drink and talk about it." "I want to know that I am not driving in one direction..." "I want to know that I will be driving back when the sun comes up." "Ivan, let me ask you a question." "Do you still want me to give you the phone number so you can close the road?" "Yes." "Right, well, goodbye, Ivan." "Yes." "I think I've just done something on my own initiative." "You did?" "I found the mobile number for the council guy who signs off the closures." " Cassidy?" " Yeah, Cassidy." "That's him." "You found his number?" "Yeah, I have his mobile number." "I knew you'd need it." "You took it over Christmas in case, and I found it." " Donal, you did that?" " Yeah!" "And that's on two cans of fucking cider." "Do you want it?" "Okay, right." "Well, give me the number." "Okay, okay, okay-." " 07700-900..." " 077..." "Wait, wait, wait, wait." "07700..." " 900957." " 07700-900." " 077..." " 957." " 00..." " Okay, yeah." " 900557." " No, no, no. 957." "900957." " 957." "Did you write it down?" " No, it's in my head." "Thank you." "957." "Jesus." "Pick up the phone." "Pick up the phone." "Pick up the phone." " Hello?" " Mr. Cassidy?" "It's Ivan Locke from the Park project." "Who?" "I'm running the site at Claremount." "We've some road closures agreed." " How did you get this number?" " You gave it to me." "You gave it to me in case anything came up over Christmas." " Yeah, well, it's not Christmas." " Yes, but I need a sign-off." " I'm in an Indian restaurant." " Yes, but I need a sign-off." " Seriously, I need it." " I told you, I'm in an Indian restaurant." "Okay, if I give you the number of the duty officer at the Belmount Police Station..." " This'll have to wait." "Sorry." " No, please." "Shit." " No, please, please, please." " No." " Please." "Please..." "No." " This will have to wait." "Without this..." "It can't wait." " Concrete is coming tomorrow." " I'm in a bloody Indian restaurant!" "Yes, I know and I'm really sorry." "Please." "I just need you, please, to call the duty officer." " You're Ivan Locke?" " Yes." "I remember you." "You ran a tight ship." "Yes." "The only construction director who gave us paperwork ahead of time." "Yes, yes, but tonight, I'm sorry, things have just..." "They've happened beyond my control." "Okay, okay, okay-." " Give me the bloody number." " Thank you." "Okay. 07957-452..." "You know, I could have easily let the concrete go to hell, but I didn't." "You know, Dad, when you came creeping back, saying you were sorry, it was even worse than staying away." "Yes, I'm serious." "I could have broken your fucking back for that, but I didn't." "And the fact that I could have done it was worse than anything, you know?" "Because you were so fucking weak." "That was the first thing I noticed." "So weak." "All the things I fucking despise inside one fucking stupid green shirt." "You looked pathetic." "My fucking dad in..." "What were they?" "They were trainers." "They were some sort of fucking trainers that teenagers wear." "And your hair was all over the place." "You don't drink anymore and you don't fucking smoke dope." "We're all supposed to celebrate, is that it?" "Celebrate what, exactly?" "I was 23 years old and this old cunt comes from the fucking blue sky." "He says, "Guess what, everybody." "I've..."" " What'?" " Ivan." " What?" " Ivan, it's all going to hell." "What?" "The rebars in the shuttering in pit six, they wouldn't hold a fucking kitten's fart." "It's those mavericks from up north we put in there at the last minute." " What tension did they hold?" " They hold nothing!" "They hold nothing at all." "It came away with a push." "Is there anybody there?" "No, shutterers all went home ages ago." "They're not in till 6:00." " Right, call the Albanian." " No, I've tried the Albanian." "He's not answering." "Nobody's answering." "Nobody's answering." "There's some fucking football game on!" " Could you call in your sons?" " No, they're in Germany." " They're digging out missile silos." " Okay, okay, Donal." "Here's what you do." "You drive down to the ring road near the fire station, okay?" "And you'll see a road gang laying lines." "You ask for a guy called Stefan." "He's Polish." "Tell him there's 500 pounds for him and two of his best diggers if they can get down and fix up some rebars." "A road gang?" "Yes, I know." "But I know them." "I know them." "They're slumming it for the cash." "Stefan is the best concrete farmer I know." "Now, you mention my name." "He owes me." "So, do I have to drive down there?" "Can I not just ring them?" "Donal, how many ciders have you had?" "Donal?" "Donal, I don't have Stefan's number." "You'll need to drive down there." "They'll be knocking off and going home in, like, half an hour." "Okay, Ivan, I'm gonna be straight with you." "I'm not drunk." "I'm not drunk, okay, but I've had too much to get behind a wheel." "If I get stopped again, I go inside." "And I can't do that." "Okay, then you run." " I run?" " Yeah." "Stefan and his men will knock off in half an hour due to council regulations because they can't burn bitumen lights after 10:00." "So if you run, you'll get there before they get in their van." "What do you mean, run?" "I'm not gonna fucking run." "You will fucking run, Donal." " I haven't..." "I'm not..." " You will fucking run now." "Go, or my building won't get built." " Are you mad?" " Yes." " Run?" "I'm not..." " Yes, I'm mad." "Tonight I've gone mad and I will have to get used to being mad." " You have a call waiting." " And Donal..." " I can hear in your voice when you're drunk." " I'm not." "No, but when you're drunk, you can run faster, can't you?" "For a while at least." "You can run like a fucking kid." "You can run like the fucking wind." "So I'm gonna get out of my boots and put on my trainers?" " My run-fast trainers?" " Yes, yes." "Then you run." "So you want me to run?" "Run for those fucking bastards in Chicago who don't give a shit if I live or if I die?" "No, you do it for the piece of sky we are stealing with our building." "You do it for the air that will be displaced, and most of all you do it for the fucking concrete." "Because it is delicate as blood." "You really have gone fucking mad, right?" "Well, that would be a fair assessment, yes." "All right." " Right, Ivan, here I go!" " You're a good man, Donal." "You are, you're a good man." "Go on now, run." "Run!" "It will work out." "I will make sure of it." "You'll see." "You'll see." "You see, you take things in your own hands, and you push against it and you push against it until it's upright." "And you stick to the plan." "Hi." "This is Bethan." "I can't get to the phone right now." "Please leave a message." "Bethan, it's me." "I know they're operating on you right now, but I just wanted to say good luck." "Good luck, Bethan." "This baby is a good thing." "And you deserve to be happy." "You see?" "Life." "Yes, life sentence." "So what?" "I will do what needs to be done, even if they hate me or love me." "You have to be solid so that it makes no difference what they think." "You know, if I were to bury you tonight, again, before I threw dirt on your face," "I would say, "Look." ""Look and fucking learn."" "I drove in this direction and there will be a new person when I get there." "Yes, because of that night." "Constructed out of two bottles of wine and somebody feeling lonely." "How could you ever beat that for a construction?" " Hey, Dad." " Sean." " We won." " What was the score?" " 3-1." " Good." "Good." "Good." "Caldwell, Robinson and Caldwell again." "Good." "Is everything okay?" "Yeah." "No." "Mum looks like she's seen a ghost." "She broke some plates." "Yes, well, something's happened." "I'll explain when I'm not driving." "She's upstairs." "Yes, I'll explain when I'm not driving and when I'm with you and Eddie together, you know?" "I..." "I've only just explained it to myself." "She said you're not coming home ever." "Well, she's distressed." "Are you coming home?" "Where else would I go?" "So I'll tell Eddie that you are coming home?" "He's been crying." "Look, when I get to the other end, I'll call." "Sean, you tell Eddie that it's okay, that I'll make it okay, okay?" "Doesn't feel like it's okay." "Felt different after half-time." "I'll fix it and it'll all go back to normal." " Now, you should go to bed." " Yeah." " Third goal was amazing." " Caldwell?" " Took it round the keeper." " Good God." "Caldwell's a donkey." "Normally he's a donkey, but tonight he was brilliant." "It's a miracle." "What a miracle!" "Right, that's it." "Go on, good night." " Night, Dad." "See you tomorrow." " Yes, absolutely, hopefully." "We'll see you tomorrow." "See you tomorrow." "You know, I nearly got fucking run down by a taxi there, running." " Did you find Stefan?" " Jesus Christ." "Yeah, okay." "Right, I can see the flames." "They're burning." "Oh, my God." "They're burning the road." " I can smell..." " You have a call waiting." " The bitumen, it's getting in my throat." " His name is Stefan, Donal." "Give them 500 each." "Oh, man, Ivan, I'm fucking..." "I'm fucked!" "You sound sober." "Now, listen, you tell Stefan to bring two men and a jack." "500 apiece." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." "Yeah, I'll call you when I've got the Poles in my..." "Fuck!" "In my grasp, okay?" "Jesus, my heart's coming out..." "Stefan is a good man." "He will fix the pit and check the others." "All 12 pumps will work." "The stop-go will run." "The north, south, east and west gates will all take their quarter of concrete." "The baby will be born." "And Katrina will be okay." "In the morning she will be okay." "That is how it can be." "That is my prayer." "And when the baby is born, when he's seven or when she's seven, it'll say it's okay." "And the name will be Locke." "Locke is okay." "We do okay." "Because..." "Because I straightened the name out." "The Lockes were a long line of shit, but I straightened the name out." "You know what, you old bastard?" "You know what?" "I know now." "I know now why you ran away." "Yeah?" "Okay, okay, okay." "I'm in a van with three Poles who smell like fucking burning rooftops." "And they said 600, right, so I guess you're gonna say yeah?" " Yes." " Yeah, good, okay." "This guy Stefan, he doesn't say much, does he?" " well, no, but he's a good man." " You want a word with him?" "No." "Stefan knows what to do." "You'll be okay now, Donal." " Yeah, yeah." " You fix up the rebars and start preparing the gates." " Okay." " It will be along night." "Jesus, I'm stone-cold sober now." "I know." "I know." "It all worked out." " What?" " I said..." "Wait, wait, wait..." "Stefan just said, "Say hello. "" "He said, "Say hello to Ivan Locke. "" "What?" "Right." "He says to say you're the best man in England." " Ivan?" " Yes." "I've decided." "Kat, you know what?" "We can work this out." "I know we can." "No, no, no." "I've spoken to my sister and my half-sister." "And the difference between once and never is everything." "So, that's it." "And it never is once anyway." " Katrina, listen..." " I don't want you to come back, Ivan." "This is not your home anymore and I want you to stay away." "Katrina, please, listen." "We will make arrangements for seeing the boys." "But, look, I..." "I don't want you coming here." "You were always more in love with your buildings anyway." "Why don't you go and live in one of them?" "I mean, right at the top where you like to look out and feel so pleased with yourself." "Hey, I'm gonna wash everything here, wash it all out 10 times to get the dust of you out of it." "I won't have to deal with your footprints turning to stone on the kitchen floor anymore." "It's finished." "This isn't your home." "Ivan Locke." "Ivan, I've put a construction director onto this." "He's tried to reach Donal 100 times, but Donal isn't picking up." "Are you there, Ivan?" "Yes." "Look, can you reach Donal and tell him he's got to pick up his phone immediately?" "Ivan?" "Tell your construction director there's no need to speak to Donal." "Everything's already taken care of." "Ivan, for fuck's sake, I can't do this." "Everything is taken care of and everything is ready for 5:25." " There will be no mistakes." " You have a call waiting." "I have made sure of everything and I've made sure everything is in place." "You can go to sleep now, Gareth." "Good night." "You know, I actually threw up earlier." " Yeah'?" " Fucking yeah." "Well, hear this, Gareth." "When I left the site just over two hours ago," "I had a job, a wife, a home." "And now I have none of those things." "I have none of those things left." "I just have myself and the car that I'm in." "And I'm just driving and that's it." "Ivan, you fucked up your life, that's your business, but Chicago is going insane." "Two words I learned tonight." "Fuck Chicago." "This is Ivan Locke." "Please leave a message." "Hey, Dad." "It's Eddie." "I'm on my mobile." "I'm under the duvet." "I..." "I just wanted to tell you about the goal." "Caldwell got it in and he controlled it, you know?" "You know how you shout at him because it always flies off into the crowd?" "Yeah, he controlled it and he got it down on the ground, and you know how you say he just lumps it forward all the time?" "Well, he got it down on the ground." "This is Caldwell, Dad, and he just..." "He just started running and running and running." "And..." "And these defenders were just bouncing off him." "And he went round one and then the other." "And me and Sean were standing up and shouting at him to pass the ball." ""Pass the ball! "" "You say you've got to square it." "He wouldn't square it." "He wouldn't pass." "He just..." "He just kept running." "He was..." "He looked like a horse or something." "And then the goalie's coming forward and we think he's gonna boot it over the bar." "Remember against..." "Anyway, whoever it was." "And we thought he was gonna boot it over the bar again, but he didn't." "This is Caldwell, Dad, the one you say is always a donkey." "He went round the goalie and put it in." "Mum was crying, so she didn't even see it." "But we recorded it for you, so you have to come home and watch it, okay?" "You have to come home, and I have an idea, okay?" "So, we'll pretend we don't know the score and pretend it's happening then, pretend it's live." "And me and Sean will go mad all the same, and you can have your beer and Mum can make the sausages, so..." "So, that's what we'll do." "Good night, Dad." "Ivan?" "Is everything okay?" "Listen." "Ivan, will you come?" "Yes."