Titanic

Chapter Thirteen

"I feel a bit better now, not as stiff," Elizabeth smiled taking her coat from her husband. She loved the other dress but her corset was bruising her from how tight it was.

Thomas chuckled at his wife. He put on his own coat before holding out his arm for her. No matter what she wore, she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

"You could wear a burlap sack and still be the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on," Thomas smiled making his wife blush as they exited their room again.

He had been this charming since she met him. And eight years later he's not changing his tune. Elizabeth doubted he ever would.

"Quite the charmer," Elizabeth mused with a smile playing on her lips as they walked towards the door for the deck.

Passing the stair case for the lower decks, Elizabeth took note of a familiar red head walking down with a familiar blonde man. She could only smile knowing Ruth and Cal would die if they knew where Rose was.

"You did marry me. You knew what you were getting in to," Thomas said pulling his wife from her thoughts as they walked on to the deck.

She shivered at the sudden drop in temperature before moving closer to her husband. He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close as they headed to the front of the ship.

***

Sitting on the wooden deck of the ship, Elizabeth laughed at stories Thomas was telling her. Some were from before he had even met her. Things she had never heard before.

"I dare say your mother wasn't impressed," Elizabeth said through her laugh. Thomas' mother was a kind woman. But proud and proper all the same.

She loved his parents and often thought of them as her second mother and father. They treated her like family the minute Thomas brought her home for the first time.

"I will say, my favourite day so far on this Earth, is still the day Heather was born," Thomas said making Elizabeth quieten and look over at him. He loved his daughter, she knew that. But she did think his work came before them sometimes.

"Not this?" Elizabeth asked knocking her hand on the wood as Thomas looked at her. The gleam in his eyes told her otherwise.

"Not even close. It pained me to hear you in pain. And I wanted to be in there desperately, but the nurses wouldn't allow it. When I could finally see you two... I felt my heart grow even more," Thomas said. Never breaking eye contact with his wife.

Elizabeth felt tears sting in her eyes as she listened to him. She remembered that day vividly. She had never felt such pain in her life. It was worth it when she saw her little girl though.

"I got so angry they wouldn't leave you in. I broke my nurses hand out of pain and spite. They wouldn't even let my mother in when she arrived," Elizabeth said bitterly. She hated every part of that experience until her baby was put in her arms.

She could still hear her mother shouting at the nurse. And the minute Heather cried, Thomas burst through the door not willing to wait another second.

"I know. I vowed then never to use that team if we had more children. I could barely look at your face when I walked in. You were in such agony and they wouldn't let you have anyone familiar," Thomas said. His wife had been treated unfairly and he made that known to the hospital when he went there two days later.

"You did not  walk in, you violently burst through the door," Elizabeth laughed wiping her tears away. She could still remember the look on his face when he saw Heather though.

His eyes filled with tears as he looked at his daughter. He didn't know if she was a boy or a girl yet but he didn't care. He loved the baby the minute he laid eyes on them.

"That I did. I just wanted to get to you both," Thomas laughed. He moved closer to his wife. Taking her hand in his. He wanted to experience that again. But this time it would be different.

He would get his wife the best team of nurses. And if he wasn't allowed in with her, someone would be there.

"Tom... let's have another baby," Elizabeth whispered leaning in and kissing his lips. He moved his hands to cup her cheeks as she held on to his wrists.

***

She made quick work of Thomas' clothes once they were back in the room. They didn't have to worry about anyone disturbing them until they collected Heather the next morning.

His coat and shirt had been dropped near the door, shoes kicked off near the couch, her dress fell over the back of the couch and his pants were by the closed bedroom door.

"I love you," Thomas whispered holding his wife close as she closed her eyes listening to his heartbeat.

Elizabeth took a deep breath trying to steady herself as she lay against him. She linked her fingers with his, pressing a brief kiss to his knuckles before moving her head to look at him.

"I love you too.... when we get to America, promise we'll spend more time as a family? I don't want to leave Heather alone and I'd hate for you to be pulled away for work all the time," Elizabeth sighed propping herself up slightly.

She traced circles on her husbands chest as he watched her. Thomas knew his work had taken its toll on his wife the last year or two. He was ashamed to admit he had missed out on some of Heather's life because of it.

With the building of Titanic and his constant need to change and upgrade plans for the ship, he had barely been home. Going between Belfast and Southampton was no joy but he did it for work.

"Of course... I'll be ignoring Ismay at every corner," Thomas said. A tone of promise held in his voice as he kissed his wife again. He didn't miss the smile on her face at the thought of their plans.