Firecracker- John Shelby

-seventeen-

Out of nowhere I got a sharp pain in my stomach. I groaned and leaned forward.
"You alright Shirley" Arthur asked concerned.
"Yea" I lied, trying to stand up straight.
"Oh bloody el" he said noticing Ada
"Come here. Enough now. Enough" he said.
I got another sharp pain in my stomach. The last time this happened the lees had raided the shop and planted a hand grenade.
"Ada, come on, have a rest. Sit down" tommy said
"Come and look Shirley! Look at the family you've joined! Come and look at the man who runs it. He forces you to get married. He hunts his own sister down like a rat and tries to kill his own brother in law." Ada said
"Come on now Ada that's enough" Arthur said
"Now he won't even let me have a fucking dance at my best friends wedding!" She screamed.
"Sit her down" John said.
I got an extreme cramp in my stomach and I fell to the floor. Seconds later Ada was panting and crying in pain too.
John and Arthur kneeled down to me while polly and tommy fussed about Ada.
"Holy shit,Water. Right"Polly said. Adas waters had broke.
"Bloody el Ada you do pick your times!" Arthur said to Ada.
"What's going on with her then" John said, pointing to me.
Zilpha came over and knelt by me.
"Your mother had the same gift" she complimented.
"What bloody gift" Arthur asked.
I slowly started to stand up as Ada got further away, pain in my stomach becoming duller.
"We should go after her" I said.
"Right, in the car you" Arthur said helping me up.

When we got back polly, zilphas daughter esme and Ada went inside. Me and John walked up to tommy.
"Nice car John, how's she run" he asked
"Beautiful, really smooth" John said
"Your sisters in there giving birth and your talking about a car" polly said.
"Not much us men can do now pol" tommy said
"Except for get drunk"Arthur said
"Right, come on" tommy said
Polly looked at me expectantly, I gave her pleading eyes.
"Go on" she said, nodding towards the boys who where headed the garrison.
I ran after them.
"There's one man who should be here" polly said
"You are right pol, Freddie should be here" tommy said
"Is that a heart beat I hear inside that chest?" She said
"The truce lasts till sunrise. On my oath, tell Freddie it's safe"tommy said
"Ada!" Polly ran to tell Ada the news
"Right boys, let's wet the baby's head. And girl" he said addressing me and my indignant look.
We where all in the back room of the garrison when Arthur made a toast.
"To beautiful women" Arthur said raising his glass.
We all drank, including myself, which felt self centred, but I didn't care.
"We should go it's our wedding night" John said putting his arm around me.
I pushed him off.
"I'm not drunk yet" I said
"Though, we should really check on Ada" I added
"You stay here, you don't want to be among women when there's a baby coming" Arthur said.
"I'm a woman" I said
"Oh, right" Arthur said, as if just realising.
"You think her husband will take the same advice and stay away?" Grace asked.
"Freddie will be there. Nothing will keep him away. Tommy said it's all right for him to be there. Isn't that right Tommy" he shouted.
"That's right, I'm all heart tonight." Tommy said
Arthur started laughing.
"You know what, I think it's that lovely barmaid, that pretty one that just walked out, that's made our bother go all soft" Arthur said
"Drinks to that" John said
I reached over and grabbed the whole bottle of whiskey.
"I will" I said
Everyone burst out laughing, even tommy.
"Just an hour ago, you where fighting us all and cursing tommy, now your laughing and drinking with us, what changed" Arthur asked.
I lifted up the whiskey bottle and gave it a little shake, winking at Arthur.
Everyone started to laugh again.
"Someone-someone take that bloody bottle off her" Arthur said,trying to catch his breath from laughing
"Give that here" John said
I scoffed, throwing my head back.
He snatched it off me playfully.
"There goes all your chances of me coming home with you today" I said
"Well see" John said smirking and taking a sip of the whiskey.
Tommy and Arthur oooo'd.
I was extremely uncomfortable in what I was wearing so I went out to grace to see if she had something I could borrow, I knew barmaids kept spare outfits in case there was a spillage and they needed to change.
"Hey grace" I said walking out of the room.
"Shirley, your drunk" she said, wiping down the counter.
"No I'm not" I said going behind the counter.
"Congratulations on your wedding" she said
I peaked around the corner at John who was signing with Arthur.
"Don't congratulate me" I said
"Have u got spare clothes" I asked
"I'll get you them now" she said
I walked over to her bag and took out her outfit
"No it's fine I'll get it-" she said urgently.
I pulled out a gun from her bag.
"Oh-" I said
"I'm a barmaid-" she started
"I'm not judging you" I interrupted
"of course" she said relieved
"You don't need to carry a gun, no one will touch you because then they'll have to deal with tommy" I said changing.
"It's an extra precaution" she said
"Probably end up getting that used on yourself" I said
"Just be careful" I said walking back into the back room.
Tommy was watching grace through the crack in the door.
"Go out there" I said
He immediately stood up and walked out.
Then polly stormed in.
"It's a boy!" She said angrily
Tommy looked happy. Then polly started hitting tommy.
"Pol? Polly? Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Tommy said
"Polly!" Arthur and John held her back.
"But the police came and took his father away! Don't you dare look at me like that." She shouted.
"You liar!" She spat on the ground.
I looked at tommy who looked genuinely confused.
Then I turned to grace, who looked away immediately. Something felt off, her carrying a gun, then Freddie being arrested right after she was told where he was.
"Come on..." John said leading me out of the garrison.
I looked back at tommy who looked lost, then once more at grace. She was already watching me. I felt the guilt radiate off her. She was hiding something.