Hello :) I'm back (for a couple of days!)
Thanks for the reviews… again! I really do love getting and reading them!
And to 'me', nope Tommy didn't die. The baby swap thing happened, but it wasn't Ronnie who kidnapped him, it was just an unspecified randomer. :)
As Ronnie had predicted, Roxy found the news that Katy may have broken her ex-boyfriend's nose funny. Even after a couple of days had passed and the shock had worn off, it was still the younger sisters' favourite topic of conversation. Michael hadn't shown his face since the showdown and no one on the Square seemed bothered by his absence; not even his family. The oldest of the three Mitchell sisters sighed exasperatedly as the other two seemed to be taking the entire situation as a huge joke.
"You need to calm down, Katy." She said, picking up a magazine and starting to flick through the pages. Roxy pulled at face at the teenager at their sister's serious tone. "It's not funny! It's not just her… what if she puts the baby in danger."
Katy patted her bump casually. "Ruby's fine with it, ain't you bump?"
"It's not funny!" Ronnie repeated snappily.
"Look, Ron," Katy said with a sigh, "I know it was stupid, OK, but I just snapped. It won't happen again. I'm not that stupid."
"Give her a break, Ronnie." Roxy agreed nodding. "Remember what I was like when I was pregnant with Amy. Besides, she's just a kid… she's gonna make mistakes. And she's a Mitchell, that's hard enough to cope with."
"Alright," Ronnie said smiling weakly and standing up as James started to cry, "you haven't left the flat since Friday… go and get some air."
Nodding, the teenager stood up, putting one hand on the base of her back for support. Roxy grinned.
"Seriously, babe, you are HUGE." She teased, standing up as well and walking with her sister to the flat door.
"Thanks." Katy grinned, pushing her affectionately.
Roxy headed upstairs to her own flat and Katy went through the front door and looked out onto the Square. She hesitated slightly on the top step, putting a hand on her forehead to shield her eyes against the bright sunlight as she surveyed the scene. Everything looked exactly the same, but it was so different.
Passing the stall, she greeted Whitney, who told her that Lauren and Mercy were in the café. Heading there, Katy took several deep breathes before she opened the door and went inside, knowing that her friends would probably have a lot of questions. She'd pretty much avoided them since Friday when she'd punched Michael. The teenager wasn't really sure whether she wanted to discuss her actions with anyone other than her sisters; it was too complicated.
"I thought it was all sorted?" Lauren asked in a low voice. Katy had spotted the pair as soon as she walked into the café, sitting at the table in front of the counter. Painting a smile on her face, she slipped into the empty seat beside Mercy.
"I can't help but feel this is God's way." The girl replied, before they turned to look curiously at Katy.
"You gonna spill then?" Lauren enquired eagerly, leaning forwards towards Katy. "What happened?"
Mercy raised her eyebrows interestedly. "And you and Tyler Moon, eh?"
"There's nothing to tell." Katy shrugged. "I punched Michael because he's a creepy scumbag and Tyler's just a mate. He was just looking out for me." Her friends exchanged a glance; one that the teenager didn't miss but chose to ignore. "Besides, you've seen what he's like… hitting on you two and Whit within minutes of each other. Why would he hit on the girl who's six and a half months pregnant and the size of a house?"
"Oh shut up!" Lauren laughed. "You're female, that's all that matters!
"Great, thanks." The Mitchell laughed. She glanced up at a banging sound and saw Tamwar lugging a heavy looking bag into the café. "Look who it is!"
"Oooh! How was the honeymoon?"
Afia answered, appearing just behind her husband. "Amazing, thanks. Cornwall's gorgeous."
"We loved it but… back to earth with a bit of a bump now, because we're homeless." Tamwar added, sliding onto the bench at the table behind them. The three girls smiled, a little uncomfortably and turned back to their own conversation, leaving the newlyweds to talk privately.
"You know what, I was thinkin' right? This country is wicked!" Fat Boy announced, appearing beside them with a mug in his hand. The girls raised their eyebrows in unison, wondering what he was talking about.
"You had two coffees before we left this morning." His wife said as he sat on the stool at the end of the table.
Fat Boy ignored her. "You know… those scales of justice… they're gold plated, alright. And I never doubted them. You know what that means?" He looked around enthusiastically. "You know what that means? That means we can make plans now, Merce. So, check this, alright. You take over the stall, OK… you know, keep it in the family, you get me? And then I can go out there and get a proper job. And then we might even be able to move in together."
Mercy looked uncomfortable. "Arthur…"
"You know what? I am employable, right?" He said, not noticing her expression. As he turned to the others, he didn't seem to notice their slightly unconvinced expressions. "I am employable, right? You know like… fat cat city boy and that, you know?"
Lauren and Katy glanced at each other, wondering how to put what needed to be said.
"Listen, Fats…" Katy started, before glancing at Lauren who took over.
"It's just your clothes, your posture, the words you use…"
"I mean, I wouldn't buy anything off someone wearing a sequinned hoody, on principal." Tamwar agreed. Fat Boy scowled, talking a gulp from his mug and looking as though he thought they were ganging up on him. After a couple of uncomfortable moments, he made his excuses and left, leaving the others grimacing slightly.
"Aww… I feel sorry for him." Katy said as they heard the café door close. "He's only trying to do something good for the pair of you."
"I suppose…" Mercy agreed slowly, looking a little upset.
Lauren, on the other hand, wasn't so sympathetic. "You and your pregnancy hormones."
"What!" Katy demanded. "He's sweet, OK, and he's trying. She's lucky, that's all I'm saying."