Blue Eyes

35

          It was as if losing her unborn children was the final straw. Ella had put up with so much heartache in her life but fate had taken it too far. The doctors said she wasn't healing very quickly because she was refusing to help herself.

"She's given up." The doctor shrugged. "This is often the case with mothers who have miscarried."

Alfie sat by her bedside as long as she would allow him to. When she was lucid, she was angry. She cried and begged to be put out of her misery. The pain was too much to bear, that's what she sobbed. Alfie didn't know whether she meant the physical pain or the emotional hurt. He never asked.

When she was doped up, she slept or lazily stared up at the ceiling. Sometimes she'd mumble about the horses. Lilac and the foals. Other times she would forget what happened. She would idly chat with the ceiling about how her children would be named after the ocean. That was the first thing they would see. The beautiful ocean. They'd be beautiful. Ocean colored eyes. Beautiful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soon, the nurses began to give Ella heavier doses of morphine to keep her subdued. Her outbursts while coherent were too much to handle when Tommy, Polly, or Alfie wasn't there. When Alfie found out, he nearly tore the entire hospital apart. Tommy had to hold him back from strangling the nearest doctor on call.

So Tommy tried to enlist Alfie to help with the end of Luca Changretta. Hopefully, he could direct the man's anger long enough to end the war and get Alfie and Ella out of Small Heath.

Because according to Alfie there were two things driving his wife to insanity. Small Heath and the morphine. And he was adamant that the second Luca had a bullet through his head, they'd be gone.

Tommy didn't doubt him. So, he used Alfie's resources while he could and soon enough they came upon the night of the boxing match.

~~~~~~~~~

Alfie visited the hospital before the fight began. Tommy's own plan was in motion and if things went to plan, Luca would be dead before the week was up.

He walked into the hospital room and took his usual seat by the small bed. Ella was asleep, curled up on her side and facing him. It was always a shot in the dark when he visited her. There was no telling what sort of state of mind she'd be in.

"Love?" He gently touched her arm to wake her up.

She stirred, which was a good sign that she hadn't been taking as much morphine. Usually, when she was doped up, it was hard to wake her once she was asleep.

"El, I hafta go soon, I wanted to see you before tomorrow morning."

Her husband's voice woke Ella and she opened her eyes. "Where are you going?" Through all the emotional turmoil and the painkillers, her memory was spotty and slow.

"The boxing match, Bonnie's fighting Goliath tonight." He smiled weakly. "'Fraid we're gonna have to wipe that poor boy up off the floor once me nephew's done with him."

A dazed smile formed on Ella's lips. It wasn't her usual smile; Alfie hadn't seen that in quite a while. In fact, he couldn't remember exactly when it was. All she could muster was a blank gaze and a detached smile. "No, he's a gypsy boy." She replied quietly. "Gypsy boys never stay down."

"What about you?" Alfie adjusted her sheets, pulling them further over her.

"Me?" She hummed and closed her eyes again. "I'm so lost, Alfie. But that's okay, some people just get lost. My mother did, long time ago. Much before I could remember. They said she fell into the canal but I know better. She comes in at night."