"Where's Carla?" Michelle asked as she came through from the pub.
"In there, with Peter." I said. I stayed sat on the stairs at the back of the pub while Michelle stood by the door of the back room.
"Come on Michelle, leave them to it." Steve said as he stood in the doorway of the pub.
"No Steve, she is my best friend, she's having a baby. The man has a massive scratch across his face, God knows what's going on in there?" she said back to him.
"Maybe if you two weren't so loud, we would be able to hear what is going on in there." I said quietly from the stairs. I expected Michelle to tell me off for being slightly rude, but she didn't, she just nodded and the room fell silent.
I was probably too far away from the door to hear a thing. But Michelle could hear it all.
"Chelle, I'm worried about Mum and the baby." I said quietly.
"I know angel. She'll be ok, she's strong, isn't she?" She said, reaching out her hand. I grabbed onto it and she squeezed it tight. I squeezed back before letting go. "An affair?" she whispered, repeating what she had heard on the other side of the door. Steve gasped. I looked up from the floor to Michelle and we both knew that this was going to break Mum. Just as we did, the door to the back room launched open and Mum came storming out. "Carla, an affair?" Michelle shouted as she put her arms out trying to stop her practically running through to the pub.
"No Chelle, no, I'm gonna kill her." Mum shouted, as she reached the pub, Michelle still pulling her back trying to stop her. I stood up and followed them, standing at the bottom of the stairs, just behind Steve.
"Who?" Michelle shouted back.
"Tina McIntyre, I'm gonna kill her."
"Our Tina." Michelle shouted, desperately trying to calm Mum down.
"No, not our Tina, Chelle, his Tina, his Tina." Mum shouted. I walked out into the pub a little further to see everyone was staring at her. I then looked back at Peter, who was lying on the floor in the back room. When I turned to look back from Mum and Michelle, they were on their way out the front door of the pub. I ran after them.
"Don't try and stop me, Chelle. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same." Mum shouted, as Michelle and I reached her outside.
"You're just gonna make it worse, she's a stupid kid, she doesn't know any better." Michelle shouted as Mum stopped. I caught up to Michelle and she put her arm around me.
"What am I supposed to do? What am I meant to do? Just let her off, say nothing and forgive her?" Mum shouted.
"Right then, I'm coming with you. Orla, go and wait inside with Liz." Michelle said.
"Look Michelle, this is nobody's business but my own, ok? I'm just gonna go and talk to her, that's all I'm gonna do. He was my husband, he wasn't yours. And I just think you should leave me be, alright?" Mum said before storming off towards Tina's flat.
"Please just don't do anything stupid, will you?" Michelle shouted after her.
"Oh, why break the habit of a lifetime." Mum said, almost round the corner by then.
"Come on you, she'll be back in a minute, ok? Let's go and stick the kettle on for when she gets here." Michelle said, taking hold of my hand and leading me back into the pub. When we got there, Liz, Steve and Dierdre were stood at the door of the back room trying to get through to Peter. Michelle never let go of my hand as Liz put her arm around Michelle. Steve went in to go and talk to him, while Michelle went to get a drink from behind the bar. I sat back down on the stairs, putting my head in my hands and sobbing. I didn't know what to do. I wanted more than anything to go and find Mum, but she was adamant she wanted to be on her own. I wanted to talk to Peter, but I didn't know what to say or how to word any of the questions I needed answers for. I stayed like that for a little while before a commotion started in the pub. Michelle was in the back room with Steve, Liz and Peter so I got up from the stairs and went out to see what was going on.
"The police and an ambulance outside Tina's" Sean said. I didn't think about anything but something happening to Mum. I went straight to the back room.
"Michelle, Michelle, we need to go. There are police, ambulances outside Tina's. Michelle, come on we need to go." I said. She was almost frozen still but followed me as the two of us ran out through the pub and across to Tina's.
"What's happened? Carla?" Michelle shouted as we got around the corner and saw the blue flashing lights right in our faces. Mum was stood at the bottom of Tina's flat next to a policeman.
"Michelle, I found her, she was already lying on the ground." Mum shouted back. Michelle held tightly onto my hand as we watched Tina be put into an ambulance on a stretcher, unconscious. Peter appeared behind us as the ambulance began to drive away.
"What have you done? What have you done?" he shouted to Mum, who stood, shellshocked in the middle of several policemen now. Mum was silent, until the policemen began to get her into the back of a police car.
"Chelle, look after Orla please." She shouted before she disappeared into the car and the door was shut. I couldn't hold it together then and Michelle pulled me into her as I sobbed into her shoulder.
"Shhh, it's alright, she's gonna be ok, shh Orlie." She kept saying repeatedly until the police car drove away with Mum in the back of it. We watched it go ]]and once it had, Michelle turned to me. "Right let's get you back to mine to bed." She said. I didn't protest or say a word because I didn't want to go home in case Peter was there. The two of us walked back to the Rover's where Michelle found me a pair of pyjamas and got me into bed in the spare room. She got into bed beside me and stroked my hair until I'd fallen asleep.
In the morning, I woke up and Michelle wasn't there. The room was cold and felt empty. I got dressed into my clothes from last night and left the pyjamas folded on the bed. I went downstairs, where Michelle and Mum were sat in the back room.
"Hey, my gorgeous girl, it's alright, I'm here now." Mum said as she stood and pulled me into her, and I sobbed. We sat down on the sofa next to each other and I rested my head on her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around me. We stayed like that while Mum and Michelle talked. I only moved when Steve poked his head around the door to say that Rob was here. He came in and Steve left. Mum pulled me back into her, as if she didn't want to let go as much as I didn't want her to.
"So, what's the police say?" Rob asked.
"Well, they kept her up half the night, had to take her a change of clothes so they could take hers for testing." Michelle said as she sat down at the table in front of us.
"That's insane, it's Peter they should be speaking to." Rob said.
"They want to talk to him, just couldn't get hold of him." Mum said before kissing the top of my head.
"Do you think he could have done this?" Michelle asked.
"I don't know. Not the man I know, thought I knew." Mum said.
"Exactly, you don't know what he's capable of, and he had the perfect motive, didn't he?" Rob added.
"Oh, so did I, last night I hated Tina, but I didn't do it. You believe me, don't you?" Mum said after a pause.
"Course we do." Michelle said as if she were offended that she wouldn't believe Mum. "We know you're innocent."
"100%" Rob added.
"Darling, you look knackered, why don't you go upstairs and have a lie down?" Michelle said to Mum as she rested her head on mine.
"I've left the spare bed nice and warm." I said. Mum kissed the top of my head.
"No, do you know what, I'm gonna get this one back to our own flat, thanks for this." Mum said as she lifted her head and began to get up. I did the same.
"Is that a good idea?" Michelle asked.
"Got more chance of sleeping in my own bed, besides Orla's still in her clothes from last night. Cheers, thanks for everything." Mum said as she grabbed her handbag and put her arm around me.
"If you need anything, you just call me, either of you ok?" Rob said as we got to the door. He hugged her and then me before Michelle did the same. Mum put her arm back around me and the two of us walked out of the pub and back across the road to the flat. I got my key out of my pocket and opened the door, letting Mum go up the stairs and then following behind her. We went in and Mum went straight to her room. She got changed into a pair of pyjamas and got into bed. I closed the curtains for her and kissed her cheek.
"I'm gonna have a shower, ok? Shout when you're awake and I'll bring you a cup of tea." I said. She smiled before I kissed her cheek again and got up, leaving her to close her eyes and hopefully go to sleep. I went into the bathroom and showered and washed my hair before getting out and going into my room, to put something more comfortable on. It was almost 12 o'clock. I wasn't going into school today. It was the last day before half term anyway, so no real work was going to get done. Michelle had called my school this morning to tell them I wouldn't be in. I brushed my hair and tidied my room a little before going out into the kitchen and making myself a cup of tea. I could hear Mum rustling around. I knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, not with so much going on in her head. I took my cup of tea back to my room and lay down on my bed. I hadn't slept very well last night with so much to think about too. I never slept well without my favourite blanket, which was here last night and not with me at Michelle's. I snuggled up to it and at some point must have fallen asleep.
When I woke up, Mum was coming into my bedroom and climbed into my bed beside me. I was so sleepy, I couldn't even open my eyes and I barely moved, so Mum silently slipped under my duvet beside me and cuddled up to me.
"I'm glad you're getting some sleep Orlie, your little brother or sister is fluttering away in there, so I can't. There's so much going on outside this room and I just want it to stop. I just want it to be the three of us forever and ever. Me and you and this little one, that's all we'll ever need now." She said as she stroked my arm and I eventually fell back asleep.
When I woke up, Mum wasn't there anymore. I rolled over in bed to see if she was still sat in my room but she wasn't. I got out of bed and went out into the living room. Michelle and Rob were sat in silence.
"Where's Mum?" I asked. Michelle turned around from the sofa and looked at me.
"Come here darling," she said, putting her arms out. I went and sat beside her on the sofa, "Your Mum's been taken down to the police station again."
"But why? I don't understand, she hasn't done anything wrong Michelle, she wouldn't, she hated Tina for what she did, but she would never hurt her." I said.
"I know that darling, we all do, but the police just have to ask everyone so they can see that it wasn't your Mum. Why don't you get changed and then we'll go down and wait for her, she won't be much longer I'm sure, and she'll be so glad to see your face when she is finished." I nodded my head and went into my room where I changed into a pair of jeans and a top before throwing a coat on over the top. I slipped on my shoes before joining Rob and Michelle again in the living room.
While Michelle and I sat in the waiting area at the front of the police station, Rob argued with the officer on the front desk. Michelle kept telling him to leave it, but he wouldn't. He wouldn't stop going on. The longer we sat there, the more I wanted Mum to pick me up and take me home and for it to just be us again, and Michelle and the baby too.
"Mummy" I said, as a police officer opened the door and Mum came out behind him. I got up and hugged her. She squeezed me tight, and I squeezed back. I needed that hug more than ever, and I know that Mum probably felt the same.
"Come on love, let's get you home." Michelle said after Rob continued to have a go at the police officers. I was surprised they hadn't arrested him by now for being plain annoying.