If you could save someone's life, would you? Anyone's? Ali's older brother has a swastika tattooed on his knuckles, a prison ID number for nearly beating an immigrant to death, and spent his teenage years ruthlessly persecuting Ali for being gay. Blood may be thicker than water, but Ali has spent most of his life desperate to prove he is nothing like Tony. A committed vegetarian, charity-supporter, and blood donor, Ali would do anything for anyone. Ali may share parentage with Tony, but he’s determined not to share anything else if he can help it. So when Tony contracts leukaemia, and Ali is the only match for the urgently-needed bone marrow transplant, Ali is caught between two equally awful choices: to refuse and condemn a man to death, or to donate. And in donating, save the life of the man who nearly murdered Ali's Iraqi boyfriend?

Thicker Than Bone

“Is sugar here getting a flower-girl fairy princess dress?” Yazid cooed.


“She’s getting whiskey on her dummy and her nana’s for the day,” Kevin grumbled. “‘Ow’re you two benders, then?”


“Fine, thanks, how’re you breeders?” Yazid countered.


Kevin guffawed with a deep rumble of laughter.


“Be better if I weren’t getting ‘itched—ow! Bloody lay off, woman!” Kevin yelped, voice rising an octave as Harry casually punched him in the arm.


“Stop your gassing and get shopping,” she snapped, marching into the shop. “Here!” she called to the nearest assistant. “If you can get those two scrotes looking like respectable men, I’ll pay double.”


Ali settled with her on the customer sofa, resolutely ignoring Yazid’s pleas for help, and took Tanya for his own cuddle before popping her by her mother’s feet with her stuffed animal and a picture book.


“My rude other half aside,” Harry asked, “how are you two doing?”


Chapter 28