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

“Out!” she shrieked. “Out, right now! And you! I will not have such vile language on my ward! You quieten down and wash that mouth out before I have the doctor down here to sedate you, young man!”


Ali stormed out, his blood simmering. There was a faint red mist around the edges of his vision, and he slammed right out of the ward before leaning against a wall and taking deep breaths to try and calm himself down. Bastard. Bastard bastard fucking bastard. How dare he? How dare he say all that stupid crap and then try and say they were family? Ali was nothing like him, nothing at all, and then for Tony to claim the attack had been about him…


His phone beeped. With shaking fingers Ali retrieved it from his jacket pocket and unlocked it after three tries.


Hey babe no more sponge cake :( << this is the pout i gave lyndsay when she shooed me away from the desserts counter!!! i will raid later but might have to be chocolate cake instead. u feeling any better? xxx

Chapter 35