Family is Forever

Bringing Ela home

"Hey Al Pal how's life?" Jasmine asked Ali as she was sat in Pulses the cafe waiting for Zosia or Ollie to come and meet her. "Not too bad Jas" Ali smiled. She had got to know many of her cousins colleagues and friends well over the last few weeks of lunches and sometimes dinners at the hospital. "How's life with you?" Ali returned the question "well I've not killed anyone yet today so it's going ok!" Jasmine joked. "Good Good." Ali laughed
"Natalia, come on we can eat in the Darwin staff room then off to meet Col and Ela!"

Ali opened her lunch box "I had my cookie and apple  at morning break" she lied, she had even kept the cling film in the lunch box when she had thrown them in sanitary bin in the loo at school. "Well done sweetie. Just eat your sandwich then I'll get Ollie and we can be off" Ali ate her sandwich, it took almost half an hour. As she swallowed the last mouthful Ollie came in. "Ready for the off?" He asked
"Absolutely" Zosia smiled
"Let me get changed" Oli smiled
"Me too," Ali smiled "I've got some jeans in my bag, I'll change in the loos"
Ali threw up her sandwich and changed into her Jeans.

It was only a 20 minute drive to the airport and Ali told Zosia all about her first day at sixth form. "So it went well?" Zosia asked "yes, I think it did!" Ali answered
"Col has asked us not to be too loud or touch Ela, we are having a surprise welcome home thing at hers after but she might put Ela to bed first."
Colette's flight from Warsaw was on time. But Zosia, Ollie and Ali were still at the airport with almost an hour to spare so they had a coffee at the little airport Costa but went to wait about 10 minutes before the flight was about to come in "I'm nervous!" Ali admitted, "I haven't seen Col in so long!"
"She always loved you and still does, and plus you're so good with kids, Jac's daughter Emma and Mo's son Hector love you. I'm sure Ela will too." Zosia put her arm round her younger cousin.
"Zosia!" Col shouted as she came through the arrivals gate she was pushing a cart piled high with 4 suitcases and balanced on her hip was Ela.
"Col, hi and Cześć Ela" Zosia ran over to Colette and started pushing the cart for her.
"Natalia, hello darling" Colette smiled and kissed Ali on the cheek.
"Hi Colette and Hi Ela!" Ali said politely.
"Come on Col, let's get you home to your sisters, poor Ela looks exhausted! Jac said you can use Emma's old car seat for now. It's in the back of Zosia's car" Ollie smiled.
Ollie and Colette were putting the suitcases in the boot of Zosia's car while Ali was in the car singing to Ela.
"Idzie rak, Nieborak. Jak Ugryzie, Będzie znak!" She sang while she tickled Ela. Ela was smiling "Ponownie, Ponownie!" Again Again! Ela laughed. Colette slid in to the car beside Ela and Zosia sat in the passenger seat while Ollie put the keys into the ignition. Ali was singing the nursery rhyme to Ela again. Zosia turned around and watched Ali sing to Ela, there was so much joy in her face, in made Zosia smile to herself. Ela laughed again at Ali's song. "What's  that song?" Colette asked Ali "she loves it."
"It's an old Polish nursery rhyme my Babcia, that's  Polish for Grandma, used to sing to me, maybe someone used to sing it to her at the orphanage. I know I few, I'll teach them to you!" Ali smiled then went back to Ela "Wio Konicu, a jak się postarasz, na kolację zajedziemy akurat. Tobie owsa nasypieme zaras. A ja smaczna zupkę będę sobie jadł." Ela giggled "Jestem Ela" Ela smiled up at Ali. "Cześć Ela, Jestem Natalia, miło me cię poznać." Hello Ela. I'm Natalia, nice to meet you. "Natalia?" Ela asked looking up at Ali "Tak, to ja" yes that's me Ali replied. "Idzie rak. Idzie rak! Natalia" Ela demanded so Ali began to sing again. "She loves you" Colette laughed
"We have something to tell you!" Zosia smiled at Colette. "Well not just us. Fletch helped and Raf, we all pitched in. You're house, I know you  were planning to stay with your sister while you cleaned and stuff, well we've cleaned the house and changed your spare room into a nursery for Ela. We're going back to yours now.  Having a baby shower/welcome home party. Ela can join in or if it's too much for her I'm sure Ali would be happy to watch her upstairs." Zosia smiled, Ali was still singing at Ela.
"Y'all are amazing thanks so much!" Colette was overwhelmed. "Col, you've gone American what's with Y'all?" Zosia laughed
"Don't worry Zosh, I'm still the same dark haired northern nurse I always have been!" Colette laughed.

"Here we are!" Ollie announced a few minutes later. There were a few cars parked outside the three bedroom semi-detached house. And there were some balloons on the tree in the small front garden. Fletch opened the house door and helped Ollie get the suitcases out of the car and into the hallway. "Hi Coll" said giving her an awkward kiss on the cheek. "Hello nurse Fletcher" she laughed "can we just say friends. With no awkwardness"
"Of course" Fletch laughed. Col unbuckled Ela from the highly complicated car seat. And they went inside. The lounge and kitchen were filled with people. Fletch and his 4 kids;Raf; Jac Naylor, Jonny and their daughter Emma;Mo Effanga, Derwood Thompson (known to everyone as Mr T) and their newborn Hector. Zosia's best friend Dom was there too along with Sacha Levy and Essie Harrison who seemed to be in a never ending on/ off relationship. Even a few of the people from the ED had mad it. Nurses Robyn and Charlie and Connie Beauchamp although she only agreed to stay for a while as she wanted to get home to see her daughter. There was food in the kitchen general party food stuff, pizzas, tiny sandwiches and sausage rolls. Ali stiffened at all the food worried that she would be expected to eat and Zosia put her hand comfortingly on her cousins shoulder. Ela began to cry probably overwhelmed by the amount of noise and people. "I think this is all a bit mocha for her. I'll go and put Ela to bed and when she's settled and I've sorted the baby monitors I'll come and say hi, I'm sure you'll all be able to meet Ela soon." Colette smiled at everyone. "Why doesn't Natalia come with you?" Zosia said quietly to Colette. "I think she a bit anxious to be around all this food!" Colette was aware of Ali's eating disorder and agreed. "Natalia?" She asked "would you mind playing with Ela upstairs?" Ali visibly relaxed "I'd like that," she smiled and followed Colette upstairs.

"Kosi Kosi łabci," Ali sang to Ela who was laughing and clapping her hands "pojedziem do babci."
"What language is that?" A voice said causing Ali to turn round. "Polish"
"I'm Evie by the way." The girl said she was about 12 and had long straight brown hair she was her school uniform. "Evie Fletcher?" Ali asked. "How do you know?" Evie looked at Ali accusingly. "I guessed" Ali said simply.  "You're wearing that red uniform. Meaning you go to my school. You look like you're about Year 8 age and my buddy at school is called Evie Fletcher, I'm new to the school, what do buddies even do?"
"Basically just look after each other, which I don't need. Pretty pointless really!" Evie answered.
"Maybe we can just be friends then!" Ali answered. Evie just stood there unsure how to respond. "Come on then!" Ali said "I don't know any English nursery rhymes, you'll have to teach me and Ela!"
Evie smiled at Ali. She thought she seemed really nice. She went to sit down with Ali and Ela and teach them the incy wincy spider.