Elizabeth buttoned her coat up as she stepped outside of the consultation room. Tommy was sat in the waiting room. He had waited for his wife to come out, lighting a cigarette up. The nurse in the room soon coughed and glowered at him. He put it out, slightly amused at her glowering face. He stubbed it out in a plant pot and then sat back down, unbuttoning his suit jacket and leaning forward, his heel tapping up and down on the floor as he worried about his wife. He always worried about his wife.
Ever since she had miscarried, the doctor had insisted on her coming in for her check up. Tommy knew that the growth they had found in her womb had been removed. The hysterectomy had seen to that, but then the doctor had insisted on seeing her, stating that the growth could spread and that he wanted to monitor a lump near her breast. They had to keep monitoring the situation. Elizabeth had banned Tommy from saying the 'c' word. She didn't want to think about it.
She kept going to get herself checked over and so far everything had looked good. She left the consultation room and Tommy looked up and over to her. Sniffing, he moved to his feet and held his hand out for her. She took hold of it, squeezing it tightly in her grip.
"Alright?" Tommy asked her.
"Yes," she said with a nod. "He said everything looks good, anyway."
"Glad to 'ear it," Tommy said.
Nodding, Elizabeth walked with Tommy out of the surgery and back towards the car. Tommy opened the door for her and helped her into the passenger side. She sat down and rested her hands in her lap, folding them delicately into her red skirt. Tommy watched her as he turned over the engine, his gaze pensive.
"What is it?" Tommy asked her.
"I…I never want to think the worst, Tommy, and so far it doesn't look like I have to think the worst, but going there…knowing that they could give me bad news…tell me that I have cancer-"
"-Eh," Tommy interrupted his wife, moving over and reaching his hand out to hold onto hers. "Don't think like that," he urged from her. "Liz, don't think like that. There's nothin' wrong with yer, okay? Yer know that. They just need to make sure."
"I know," Elizabeth said. "I just struggle to think rationally after everything that happened after the miscarriage."
"It's alright," Tommy assured her, leaning in and kissing her chastely. "I promise yer that it's alright."
…
"They said that yer were in the war, Mr Shelby."
Looking up from his paper on the Sunday evening, Tommy noted that James was sat across from him in the sitting room. The young boy cleaned up well, and Tommy couldn't deny that. He looked like a smart young man dressed in his smart grey suit. His wife had taken quite the shine to him and Tommy had found him to be pleasant enough. He made Charlotte laugh and he respected Elizabeth well enough.
Tommy, on the other hand, was a difficult man to crack. He had conversation with him, of course, but Tommy kept his emotions guarded. He preferred it that way. He kept himself to himself and only certain people knew how he felt. His wife was the only one he let into his mind.
"Who are they?" Tommy enquired, still looking at his newspaper.
Elizabeth had taken Charlotte up to bed when James had wandered in. Charlotte had been falling asleep on the settee, leaning against Tommy as he read and she held her own book in her fingers. He had felt her weight against his side increase before looking down, his daughter sleeping soundly. Tommy had kept reading his newspaper, letting her sleep. Elizabeth had come in and hauled Charlotte off to bed.
She struggled to carry her daughter now. She was getting too big and Elizabeth wondered when the last time she had held her had been. She managed to get her to her feet and she guided her up the stairs, hands on her shoulders and urging her forwards.
"People talk," James said to him. "When I was livin' on the street people used to talk about yer…about how yer were a decorated war hero and now an MP."
"They weren't wrong," Tommy said to him.
"What was it like?" he dared to ask. "My mum said my dad 'ad been at war when I was born."
Tommy folded his paper in half and rested it on the cushion next to him. "Why do yer want to know?" Tommy asked.
James shifted uncomfortably then in his chair under Tommy's piercing stare. Shrugging his shoulders, he sniffed. "Just wondered," was all he offered. "I never met my dad and I…I wondered what he 'ad gone through."
"If your father died in the war then all yer 'ave to know is that he was a good man who fought for his country," Tommy said. "Trust me, yer don't want to know what war was like. No one can understand unless they were there."
"Is that why yer don't talk about it?"
"I prefer not to think about it," Tommy said. "We 'ad a job and we did it…"
James remained silent then and Tommy leaned forwards, clasping his hands together in between his legs. He ran a hand down his cheek before looking to the boy.
"So if yer 'ave 'eard about me then yer know who I am…what I 'ave done," Tommy said to him. James nodded.
"I know," he said. "Well, I 'eard rumours when I was on the street."
"And yer not scared?"
James frowned. "Why would I be scared?" he asked him. "I 'eard about yer helped a woman whose 'usband beat her and Charlotte told me that yer only do things because of bad people. I don't think yer evil…or nasty…"
"So Charlotte has been talking about me."
"She told me not to be scared of yer," James said. "She said it wasn't unusual for yer to be quiet when there was new people and that I shouldn't be scared of yer."
Tommy almost chuckled. When did his daughter become such the little diplomat? He didn't know, but he suspected she knew him better than he thought. She might only be a child, but she knew things. She was very observant.
"Yeah," was all Tommy offered him.
"Amazingly as soon as she was in bed she complained that she was not tired," Elizabeth's voice entered the sitting room. She ran her hands down her skirt, flattening it out while smiling. She looked between James and Tommy, brows arched. "What is going on here?"
"James was just tellin' me about his family," Tommy lied, knowing that it would be easier than giving her the truth. He winked over to James and the boy seemed to understand what was happening. "Anyway, I was goin' to see if James wanted to come and 'elp out at the school tomorrow."
"Really?" James wondered.
"Oh, yes," Elizabeth agreed. "We could use an expert eye to help us decide where to put things."
"I would love to," James said excitedly.
"Well, go and get some sleep," Elizabeth urged from him. "And we will see you in the morning."
James jumped up and bid them both goodnight. He ran off and Elizabeth moved her husband's paper off the cushion and dropped down next to him. He draped his arm over her shoulders and she rested by his side.
"What was that about?" she asked from him.
"Nothin'," Tommy shrugged as Elizabeth lifted her hand up to hold onto his, her head resting just by his shoulder. "I just thought that maybe he would like to see what we do, eh? Considerin' yer 'ave no intention of gettin' rid of 'im."
"He is a good kid," Elizabeth said. "Anyway, you seem to be opening up to him."
"Do I?"
"Well, you actually asked him if he wanted to do something with us," Elizabeth said. "I know how hard it can be for you, Tommy. It is like there are two sides to you. One side you reserve for when you are with us and allowing yourself to be happy and with your family. The other side is when you are…well…working and thinking of business."
"I 'ave to compartmentalise," Tommy muttered. "It's the only thing I know 'ow to do."
"And I understand that," Elizabeth agreed with a nod. "I just think that it would be good if you didn't have to…if you could just be with us. I wonder if that might make you happier."
"Perhaps," Tommy admitted. "But it ain't that simple, Liz. It never is."
"I know," she said to him, running her thumb over his knuckles. "So, what has been going on? Have you heard anything about Michael?"
"Nothin' yet," Tommy admitted to her. "I think he is plottin' somethin' on my business in the States."
"Let me talk to Pol," Elizabeth pleaded with him, voice low and gentle. "You know that she has nothing against me and I can just try to find out if she knows something. Of course, she will probably accuse me of spying for you and she would not be wrong…but it has to be worth a try."
"Pol will say nothin'," Tommy said to his wife. "She chose his side."
"No, she did not," Elizabeth defended her and she moved, adjusting herself so that she could look Tommy in the eye. "What choice did she have, Tommy? She hated what Michael did that day in the pub…she hated that he betrayed you…but he is still her son. He is now her only child and she would do anything not to lose him…but it is not easy for her to see you fighting like this."
"I gave Michael 'is chance and he blew it. Pol took 'is side and that is all there is to it, Liz."
"Things are not always black and white," she pointed out to him.
"Yes, they are," Tommy said. "Michael was either with us or against us. He went against us and Pol chose him. She went against us. It is as simple as that as far as I'm concerned."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and stood up. "This entire situation is just infuriating," she complained and flopped back against the back of the couch. "Why can things not just be simple?"
"Yer married a Shelby," Tommy reminded her. "We're not a family of doin' things simply."
"And don't I know it."
….
Sitting in the dining room, Pol lit up her cigarette and waited for Elizabeth to make her appearance. She had returned from her holiday back to Birmingham for a little while, but she had no intention of staying too long. Instead she was going away again, preferring the warm weather of Monaco. Michael had made his feelings very clear towards her. He wanted her to come and see him, but she had to renounce her loyalty to Tommy. But Pol was struggling. Tommy had made bad decisions. He had done bad things in the past, but he was still her nephew. He was still family.
Walking into the dining room, Elizabeth looked around and saw Pol at the round table in the corner. She smiled over to her and waved, removing her coat and handing it to the waiter as he guided her to the table. She sat down across from Pol and looked on as the woman stubbed out her cigarette and blew out a breath of smoke.
"Pol," Elizabeth said in a soft voice. "It is good to see you."
"You too," Pol said. "Did yer come alone?"
"Of course," Elizabeth said to her. "I doubt you would want Tommy here."
"Tommy 'as made his decision and it will bring 'im nothin' but pain," Pol warned Elizabeth. "Yer know that yet yer still went back to 'im."
"He is my husband," Elizabeth said. "He is Charlotte's father and despite everything, I know he is not a bad man."
"Debatable," was all Pol said back to her. "So I assume yer invited me to tea for a reason?"
"On top of wanting to see you?" Elizabeth asked her. "I think we both know that something has to be done, Pol. Michael going against Tommy will not end well. We both know that. Neither of them will back down."
"My son 'as a mind of 'is own."
"As does Tommy," Elizabeth responded, "but the problem is that they are both so alike in a way. They both want to be the men in charge. They want to be the ones on top."
"And we both know what that means."
"I do not want to think about that," Elizabeth said firmly. "Pol, I know this is hard for you."
"Do yer?" Pol wondered. "Because I 'ave my son and my nephew goin' against each other and I want to know when it ends…because I only see one ending…only one way either one of them stops…and it ends with one of 'em being six feet under."
"No," Elizabeth said firmly. "I cannot think like that, Pol. I will not think like that."
"Well what other way is there?" Pol asked, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders. "Tommy won't back down and neither will Michael. Remember Luca? Remember what Tommy said then? Big fucks small. The problem we have now is that both of them want to be big…but only one can be."
"I refuse to think like that," Elizabeth said.
"It will 'appen one day," she responded and then looked over Elizabeth's shoulder, lips arching upwards and she nodded her head. "So this was an ambush, was it?"
Elizabeth wondered what she was talking about before turning around to see Tommy walking into the dining room of the restaurant. Elizabeth groaned as her husband stormed towards them and plonked himself down in the chair between Pol and Elizabeth at the round table.
"What are you doing here?" Elizabeth demanded from her husband.
"I asked France where yer 'ad gone," Tommy said. "I told yer not to come and see 'er."
"Charming," Pol drawled out and looked at Tommy. "Don't worry, Tommy. She hasn't told me anythin'. She was too busy tryin' to get me to spy on my own son."
"No, I was not," Elizabeth said firmly. "I am trying to get you to make him see sense just as I am trying to get Tommy to see sense. Why can no one understand that this is going to end up in tears? Why does no one see that?"
"Oh, I see it," Pol said with a nod of her head, "but neither of them are clever enough to stop what they are doing."
"Well, good to see yer, Pol," Tommy said and moved to his feet. "Liz, come on, we're goin'."
"Excuse me?" Elizabeth asked from her husband, tone indignant. "No, we are not going. You can go, but I have no issue with Pol. She is your Aunt. She is a member of this family and I invited her for tea."
"Liz-"
"-Do not continue pushing," Elizabeth interrupted him. "I want nothing to do with this feud other than to resolve it. So, you can go if you do not want to sit and make pleasant conversation, but I am not leaving and do not think of ordering me around like that again, Thomas Shelby."
Nodding his head, Tommy sighed and turned to walk away. Elizabeth glared after him and shook her head. Pol chuckled as the waiter began to serve them cups of tea.
"He's not goin' to be 'appy," Pol said.
"He rarely is when it comes down to business," Elizabeth said. "He rarely is."
….
A/N: Do let me know what you think!