"Where have you been?" Michelle asked as I walked through the front door of the pub. She was stood behind the bar, with Rosie on her hip, with Liz just behind her.
"I told you she'd be alright." Liz said. Michelle rolled her eyes and looked back to me, waiting for an answer.
"It's Thursday, I had a netball match, the bus got delayed on the way back to school and my phone died." I said, "I'm sorry Chelle." I continued as I walked towards her. She pulled me into her as I reached the bar.
"I'm sorry Orla. Go and get in that shower, I'll have your tea for you when you come back down." She said. I did as she said and went upstairs, changed out of my netball dress and got into the shower and washed my hair. I put some pyjamas and a hoody on and went downstairs to the back room, where Michelle was sat at the table.
"I really am sorry Michelle." I said as I sat down next to her.
"Orla, it's alright, I knew you had netball tonight, there's just so much going on at the moment, what with Rosie teething and the baby coming and everything. I'm sorry. How was your day my darling?" she asked.
"It was good, we won our match, I passed my business test that I did on Monday. Mum sent me a picture of Isla on the beach, she wasn't working today." I said.
"Are you excited to see her tomorrow?" she asked. I nodded as I ate my tea. When I was finished, I went upstairs and packed my things, ready to leave first thing tomorrow morning. I had an inset day at school tomorrow which meant I got three days in Devon with Mum and Isla instead of just two.
Get a taxi to the house, there's a key under the doormat by the backdoor. Mum xxx
I got the text when I had about half an hour left on the train to Mum's. I did as she asked. I got out the taxi when I got to the house and paid him. When I turned around to walk down the driveway, a woman was stood at her gate.
"I presume you're Orla? You are the carbon copy of your mother." She said. I was completely taken aback as to who she was.
"Yeah, I am, why is it you want to know?" I asked.
"I've got Isla, your Mum, she's gone to the hospital to have the baby." She said. "Put your stuff in the house and then come back, I'll take you both down to the hospital." I was to shocked to say anything so I nodded and went into the house and put my stuff down in the hallway. When I came back outside, the lady was stood there, holding her handbag, with Isla next to her.
"Islie." I said, bending down as Isla ran into my arms. I picked her up and stood up, holding her on my hip. "I missed you Islie bug." I said as I kissed her cheek.
"Orla." She said.
"She's been waiting for you all afternoon. I told her you were coming." The lady said as I walked towards her.
"Sorry, I don't think I got your name." I asked.
"Sorry love, I'm Val. Your Mum and I, we've become good friends." She said.
"Well thank you for looking after Isla, and my Mum too." I said.
"You're so welcome my love, now get in, she was dying to see you." She said. I put Isla in the car seat in the back and then got in the front before Val drove us to the hospital.
When we got there, Val said she'd leave us. She said she'd have plenty of time for cuddles with the baby next week, when her and Mum were home. I thanked her as I got Isla out the car and then said goodbye before going inside to find Mum.
A midwife, in the maternity ward, showed us to Mum's room and when we got there, I knocked on the door, to hear a faint 'Come in' on the other side. I opened the door to find Mum sat up in the bed, holding the baby in her arms. I shut the door behind us and took Isla in to sit at the bottom of her bed.
"Hello, my girls, hey my Orlie Belle. Meet your little sister." She said, leaning the baby up slightly so we could see her face. Isla was slightly more interested in seeing Mum, so I had a cuddle with the baby while Mum had one with Isla. Isla eventually warmed up the baby and Mum took a gorgeous picture of me with Isla on my lap and the baby on Isla's.
"I think I know her name Ora." Mum said.
"Oh yeah, I've been excited about this." I asked.
"We're sticking with the theme, well the several themes that I've developed with you two. And I think we have our Elizabella Kate Connor, more commonly known as Ella." Mum said.
"Ella, little Ella Connor, aw Mum I love it. I remember we liked that for Isla, but she was definitely an Isla." I said.
"She was indeed. I think she's ready to go home though Orlie. I'll text Val. And I'm sorry about earlier, I would have text, but I was literally having a baby. And I'm sorry this ruins what I thought would be our last weekend just the three of us, somebody was clearly feeling left out. We should be out tomorrow about lunchtime, I think." She said.
I had a last cuddle with Ella, before putting Isla's coat on and saying goodbye to Mum. We left the maternity ward and went back down to the car park and found Val, who kindly drove us back home.
After a lovely weekend with Mum and Isla, and getting to know Ella, I left after lunch on Sunday afternoon. I had a little cry on the train as we pulled out of the station and Mum was stood on the platform with Ella in her arms, holding on Isla's hand, so she didn't run after the train as it left. It was the first time I felt truly sad about Mum being down here in Devon and me being up in Manchester at the Rovers and it took a lot of will power in that moment to stop myself from running to the closest door and getting out of the train.
Mum hadn't told anyone about Ella being born, no one at home, apart from Michelle. She knew that it would cause a bit of tension, with Nick finding out and all of the Barlow's having an opinion, so it wasn't until Ella was a few weeks old that the news was made a bit more public. Michelle and I had spent weeks having very hush hush conversations about Mum and everything that was going on, so for everyone to know was a bit of a relief. That was until questions began in the pub about who Ella's Dad was. I knew they would come, but if you saw Ella and then saw her next to Isla, you would know she was Peter's there was no doubt in it. Her and Isla looked identical.
Michelle, Rosie and I went down to Devon to stay with Mum, Isla and Ella in my October Half Term. We spent mornings having walks on the beach and then in the afternoon, while Isla, Rosie and Ella slept, we'd watch a film with biscuits and a cup of tea.
"I spoke to Nick the other day." Mum announced one afternoon, just as we sat down to watch a film.
"About what?" Michelle asked.
"About Ella. I told him about her, about the birth, about her, her little personality that's already shining through, how she is exactly like Orlie as a baby, doesn't hold that fiery streak that Isla does." She said "And he's asked me to do a DNA test on her. He's always wanted to be a Dad and he said he wants to know if she's his, so that he can be a proper Dad to her if that's the case." Mum said, breaking down in tears. I was sat beside her and pulled her into hug me. Michelle got up from the armchair opposite us and bent down in front of Mum.
"Hey, you knew that this would happen, we all did." She said.
"I know, but she's Peter's, look at her Chelle, there's no doubt she's his and I just hoped this whole time that she wouldn't be, I just hoped she'd be Nick's." Mum said as she cried into my shoulder.
"I know darling, but you're not certain are you, there is still a chance, all three of your girls don't look like their Dad's, they look like you, don't they? So, we don't know for sure. The only thing we can do is find out. And listen my darling, you can do this, because you've done it before, for this little angel and for that cheeky monkey upstairs." Chelle said, reassuring her.
After Michelle, Rosie and I went back to Weatherfield so I could go back to school after half term, Nick went down to Devon to see Mum and to meet Ella, but most importantly to do the DNA test. I got home from school late the next week and Michelle sat me down to tell me that the results had come back, and we were right, Ella was Peter's. Nick was pretty heartbroken the next time I saw him outside the bistro a few days later. I smiled a sympathetic smiled which we returned before going back inside.
"Orla Connor, how are you?" I heard a voice ask, when I came out of Roy's with a coffee early in the next morning, later in the week. I had to be in school for a meeting with my tutor, who had spoken to Michelle about everything that was happening at home, and she wanted to have a catch up. I turned around to find Peter stood behind me. Mum had told him about Ella a few days ago, but given that he'd never even met Isla, I doubt he had been down to see her.
"I really do hope I'm still asleep and this is just some awful nightmare." I said to him.
"No no, it's me in the flesh, pinch me if you like." He joked.
"Oh, don't tempt me." I said. "Shouldn't you be speaking to Mum about setting up child support payments?" I asked.
"Your mother has refused every penny I've given her since the day your sister was born."
"Which sister? Because that's two now, twice, she's given birth on her own, while you've been drinking in a gutter no doubt." I said.
"I haven't had a drink in two years, almost to the day." He said.
"Well either way, I can't believe you have the guts to show your face around here after all of the upset you've caused." I said, before walking over to the bus stop outside the salon. Peter was really the last person I wanted to spend my morning talking to.