Derry Girls: A New Arrival Part 2

Chapter 33: Truly, Madly, Deeply

Iwould like to take this moment to extend my thanks to the members of the DerryGirls Fandom who have gotten this far into the story. To everyone everywherewho has taken a moment to read this. Thank you very much. Please comment andlet me know what you think. I hope I've done our favourite characters justicewith this Fanfiction. A special creditto RedVelvetLips, Warks1999, Misha Mercury, and Will Styer for their feedback,reviews, comments, laughs and support in helping me develop this story. We arenearing the end of this part of the story.

Derry Girls: New Horizons.... coming in 2024.

The congregation of families departed from Our Lady Immaculate College and into the afternoon traffic rush, all going their separate ways. Erin sat silently in the back of her parent's car. Gerry noticed that Mary held onto Anna a little bit tighter as they took a slight detour, picking her up from a family friend's house. Choosing to hold her instead of placing her in the car seat; the young wain cooed and mumbled innocently as she peered out the car window. Mary bit her bottom lip as her eyes welled up, looking at Anna with affection. The mother watched the playful wain turn and smile at her big sister who sat in the back seat.

"Hi Enn." She said playfully.

"Ach, big girl in the front seat, are ye, Anna?" Erin spoke sheepishly and smiled at her.

"Aye yea!" She laughed.

The playful conversation was a welcome distraction for Mary, if only temporary. The totality of the day's events began to sink in for the Quinn mammy. Her mind and heart had gone through a rollercoaster of emotions. Fear, anger, anxiety, stress, and relief had crashed upon her all in one day. Her mind was still rattled with the mere idea of her eldest, Erin being pregnant. Although it had been proven to be untrue; Mary had come extremely close to forbidding her from ever seeing James again. Their exposed liaison being at the forefront of her mind. She then reflected on what Gerry had said to her. As much as the same emotions and thoughts had raced through his mind as well; although he agreed that Erin's 'secret' rendezvous with James in the storage room was not her best move and could have been tragic; He was grateful that his faith in the wee English fella had been justified when it was clear that James had made sure the girls were out of harm's way. Gerry's calmer demeanour, and support for James had calmed Mary from seeking out to throttle him with her wooden spoon. Mary silently conceded that if it hadn't been for James, the day could have welded a more tragic outcome. Erin caught Gerry looking warmly at her in the rear-view mirror. The man regarded his daughter, whilst feeling a sense of impending closure that every parent once faced when they departed the realms of childhood innocence to embark through the peaks and valleys of adult life.

The same feeling of closure weighed on the iron-willed Mary Quinn who choked back tears at the thought that her daughter was no fast approaching adulthood. But also acknowledged that Erin could have easily been in the same spot that Shannon O'Driscoll had found herself in. The older members of the Quinn family had sat in total silence during the journey home. They pulled up outside their house just behind the other two cars. Gerry could sense the tension as they got out; Mary looked yonder and saw Sarah walking arm in arm with Orla; simply thankful that she was safe while sporting a proud smile that the carefree spirit had been so unselfishly brave in putting out the fire, albeit a small one, thankfully. Handing Anna over to Gerry; Mary's heart melted as she saw Erin step gingerly out of the car, awaiting her supposed wrath. The petite blonde had resigned herself that her mammy would want to inflict a swift punishment involving the wooden spoon or worse. As their eyes met; Mary reached out and pulled her daughter in for a hug.

"Aye.... ye were right, love!" Mary said, choking back her tears.

"I'm sorry, mammy, it was stupid." Erin wept.