Ember Jean Lee, born a Gypsy but raised a Shelby.
Running away from an abusive father at the age of 5, Polly finds Ember alone and afraid in the streets of Birmingham and convinces Arthur Sr. to let her stay. A year younger than John, the two grow...
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JOHN
Polly comes storming into the Garrison. "It's a boy." She huffs, charging at Tommy.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Polly! Polly!" Arthur and I spring into action, attempting to keep her back from our brother.
"But the police came and took his father away!" She shouts.
Thomas looks confused but Polly doesn't buy his innocence. "Don't you DARE look at me like that!" She shrugs out of mine and Arthur's hold, spitting at Tommy's feet. "You liar!" She hisses, turning on her heel to leave the pub.
"Wait! Aunt Pol!" I chase after her, gently grabbing her arm. "Where's Ember? The police didn't take her too, did they?"
"She's home with Ada, the baby, Finn, and little John." Polly rolls her eyes. "Not everything is about Ember, John." She scolds.
"In my world it is." I defend.
My aunt's face softens ever so slightly. "Come home, now, eh? You should be with your wife on your wedding night."
Ember is holding a sobbing Ada when I enter the house on Watery Lane. Finn and John junior are asleep on the couch.
"Freddie will come home, just like I did." My wife comforts my sister, smoothing her hair. "Tommy will make sure of that."
Ada sniffs. "Tommy got you back because he loves you. He doesn't care about Freddie. Not anymore."
"Ada, Tommy may not be friends with Freddie anymore but he wouldn't do something like this knowing full well it would hurt you." I defend our brother.
Ada glares up at me. "Right. You're just as bad as he is. Arthur, too. The whole lot of you disgust me."
"Ada." Ember says sadly. "You don't mean that."
"I do!" She huffs, pulling herself out of Ember's arms and taking her crying newborn baby from Polly. "You wouldn't understand, Ember."
This lights a fire in my wife. "I wouldn't?" She scoffs. "I gave birth to Johnny alone, too, Ada. John was in France, getting shot at by the Germans. Or did you forget that?"
My sister looks contrite. "Ember." She whispers.
"Save it." Ember's tone is clipped. "John grab our son. I want to go home."
I know better than to argue, lifting our sleeping boy from the couch and following Ember outside. She's frozen in the dark street, her back facing me.
When she spins around, there's a tear in her eye. "I'll be sure to apologize to Polly for my outburst tomorrow. I'm afraid I don't know where we live."
"You have nothing to apologize for, my love." I swipe the lone teardrop from her cheek gently. She leans into my touch. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you the way I should have been. Missing John's birth is something I'll never forgive myself for."
