VULNERABLE | thomas shelby

☆T H I R T Y-S I X☆

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX; TELLING TOM

TOMMY CAME HOME from London in a good mood only to be burdened with the news that Arthur had relapsed and killed a boy, in a boxing ring, tore him into shreds. Beth panicked upon hearing the news and refused to face Tommy on her own, terrified that if she looked into his eyes she would ramble out about the life growing inside of her so instead she kept her lips sealed, in fear. She had threatened Polly that she would throw her into the cut if she dared speak a word and Polly assured Beth she wouldn't.

At the moment in time, Beth sat in the betting shop, a chair pulled up across from Johns desk as she leaned her head onto the wood a twisting pain in her stomach. John stared at her in confusion a small frown on his face as he looked between Beth and his notes. John's thoughts were broken when a hand was tapped onto the table beside Beth and he looked up to see Tommy. "Beth, my office now please." Beth lifted her head and shot a glance to John, mouthing help, John bursting into a giggle.

Beth walked into Tommy's office and closed the door shut behind her and looked over at Tommy who was sat at his desk, already staring at her. "Where do you want me to sit?" Beth asked quietly, walking towards the desk. Tommy sighed and patted his knee and Beth stifled a laugh as she walked over to Tommy and sat herself onto his knees, her arms wresting around his neck and her head rested onto his shoulder. Tommy's hands instantly wrapped around Beth.

They sat in silence for a moment until Tommy looked down at Beth who sighed. "What's the matter love? You haven't looked so good." Tommy murmured. Beth shrugged wrapping an arm around her stomach tightly as she felt the pain once more. "C'mon tell me." Tommy pried. "Would you love me no matter what Tom?" Tommy's eyebrows furrowed and he picked up Beth's hand glancing down at the ring on her finger, her ran his thumb over it.

"If I didn't love you no matter what, I wouldn't have proposed now, would I have?" He asked, looking back into Beth's pale face. "I'm- I've- we've- I'm pregnant." She blurted, holding her hands over her face as a sob escaped her lips. Tommy stared down at Beth in shock, his lips parted as his breathing faltered. Tommy blinked and glanced down at Beth his eyebrows furrowed. "And it's mine?" Beth looked up from her hands, tears streaming down her face, but her face dropped completely.

"Who the fuck, else do you think I'm fucking?" Beth spat, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, but she hissed slightly holding the bottom of her stomach. Tommy swallowed thickly looking down at Beth. "Right. Yeah. Do you want to keep it or?" Tommy stumbled over his words. Beth bit her lip and let out a small cry. "Tommy my parents, I loved them but they weren't good to me. You've seen what my dad did to me I'm scared." She muttered clinging to his jacket. Tommy sighed and brushed his hand threw Beth's hair.

"I promise that if we keep this little.. child. You and I won't turn out like our parents. We're better than that. If a baby will make you happy we'll have it, and raise it, eh?" Tommy suggested, wiping Beth's eyes and smiling. Beth's smile began to spread across her face and she almost squealed in excitement. "Really? I thought you wouldn't want me." Beth admitted. Tommy let out a quiet laugh and leaned back in his chair his eyebrows raised.

"Bethany Clover, if I were to leave you I would have left you the night, you pulled me out of my house and onto the lane and screamed at me in front of everyone because you thought i was seeing Lucy from down the street." Tommy taunted, holding Beth's chin into his hands. Beth let out a small scoff and cuddled further into Tommy's side. "You were being suspicious and I was being fifteen." Tommy laughed rolling his eyes and leaned down placing a soft kiss to Beth's lips. "We're going to have our own family now, eh?"

•

The door of the opened and Polly walked in with a large bag under her arm. She walked in silently, glancing between Tommy and Beth and placed her bag onto the table and began to shuffle through it. Polly brought a large, leather bound book placing it on the desk before she down on opposite Beth and Tommy.  Beth stood up, still clutching her stomach that still ached. Lighting Pols cigarette for her, Tommy opened his desk and pulled out two files.

"Polly, there are the files for Michael and Anna Gray. As you can see one is white and one is black." Tommy spoke, shifting uncomfortably. Polly frowned, her brown eyes clouding with sadness. "What you seen in your dreams was right. Anna's dead." Beth finished, watched as Polly's fave sunk and she nodded sadly, but kept her tears from falling. Tommy slid the files across the table to her but Polly shook her head to stop him. "You do it. I can't read it."

Polly stood up as Tommy began to speak. "After Anna was taken from you, she was put with the family railway stationmaster in Stafford. She never settled, so she kept running away. She got on a train to Birmingham once. Eventually, the sent her to Australia, where she died of something called the Spring Fever." Tommy explained, Beth frowned at the news of Polly's daughter, remembering a time where she saw Polly with her too children.

Polly walked over to the globe and began to spin it before she landed her finger onto Australia. "So my little Anna travelled all the way back across the world to be with my me in my dreams. She came all by herself. Well that's one train they couldn't get her off." Polly spoke, immersed in her own thoughts. "But Pol, Micheal is alive. He's in England. And Tommy knows where he lives." Beth began, staring at Polly as she let out a happy laugh through her tears.

"I went there." Tommy began. "But Pol.." Polly's eyes quickly found Tommy's, widening. "And?" Polly prompted, placing both hands on top of her head. "Okay, Polly listen to me. Just listen to me Pol. The woman that he calls mother will never let him come here." Tommy explained, Polly reaching over to hold his hands as she laughed happily. "Just tell me where he is Tommy." Polly demanded. "Polly if you go there and get mad and she calls the police, they will never let you anywhere near him and the boy will get scared."

Polly pulled her hands from Tommy's and never spared him a glance as she turned to her bag and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Tommy, Beth gasping in shock. "You tell me where he is Thomas!" Polly demanded. Tommy slammed his hands onto the desk and Polly pulled the safety trigger and Beth took a step closer to the table but Polly pointed the gun to her then back to Tommy. "Tell me where he is Thomas!"

"Polly." Tommy said, pushing off the desk to stare at his aunt. "Pulling the gun.. pulling the gun is why I can't tell you. Pol, I'm sorry. You're going to have to wait till he's eighteen. Til' he's old enough to make his own decisions." Polly swept her arms across Tommy's desk, wiping his belongings to the ground, Beth letting out a small shriek in fright. Polly marched around Tommy's desk, pushing Beth back and pointing her gun directly onto Tommy's head.

"If you shoot me you'll never know." Tommy said quietly. Polly glared down at him and raised the gun, firing it into the ceiling, before she stormed out of the room without another word. Beth's hand rested onto her chest, feeling her heart beat she began to slow her breathing staring over at Tommy. Tommy gestured for her to come over and Beth sighed, leaning against Tommy's desk. His arms found her waist and he lay his head onto her stomach.

"We've got a mini us in there now, can't be getting shot by crazy aunt Polly can I little one?"

AUTHORS NOTE!
ok so I'm just wondering if I wrote the second book would anyone even bother reading it? lol sorry, I just dk how everyone feels.