Chapter 36

The pain ripped through her like a freight train. Her breathing was laboured and her eyes squeezed tightly shut as Polly placed a damp cold cloth across her forehead. She had been in this position for several hours, yet nothing seemed to be happening. As the most recent contraction tore through her body, she gripped tightly onto Polly's hand, only finally letting go as the pain started to subside.

"The doctor is on his way." Polly whispered, gently wiping the sweat beads from Sara's brow. "I still can't get hold of Thomas."

Sara sighed at this. She knew the business would likely interrupt a lot of their personal lives, but for Thomas to miss the birth of his first child absolutely killed her. What could possibly be more important than this? For once, Polly had no idea where Thomas was, and that fact that Arthur, nor John could be found either, wound her up incredibly. She had summoned for Michael and ordered him to find his cousin and not come back until he succeeded. And now, as she tried to calm the frantic woman lying next to her, irritation flew through her. Not that she didn't want to be part of this, but she was determined that Thomas would be also.

"Ada." She spoke to her niece who was sitting on a nearby chair. "Go downstairs and see if there's any word from Michael."

Nodding, Ada got to her feet, giving a brief smile to her friend, before disappearing downstairs. As she reached the bottom step, she was immediately startled by a knock on the door. Knowing it wouldn't be her brothers, she took a step towards it and slowly pulled the large wooden door open. "Hello Doctor. Come on in." She smiled, recognising the man immediately. "Mrs Shelby is upstairs."

Just as the man started to take the first few steps, a further scream sounded echoed around the house. The doctor quickly took the steps two at a time, making his way towards the noise and leaving Ada behind.

"Is Mrs Shelby alright? Do you need anything else, Mrs Thorne?"

Ada turned her head, coming face to face with Frances, the housekeeper. "We may need some extra sheets Frances. And I think Pol could do with a drink if you could bring a bottle up. Could you also try and contact the office again? Find out where Thomas is."

Frances nodded, turning on her heel and disappearing out of sight, leaving Ada to start the walk back up the staircase alone. As she got to the top landing, another scream sounded out, and remembering back to her own birthing experience, she recognised that it wouldn't be too long before the little one made an appearance.

"Come on Tom. Where the hell are you." She thought to herself, making her way back to the bedroom. Knocking on the door, she waited patiently until it finally creaked open, revealing a tired looking Polly.

"Any word from him yet?" she asked.

Ada shook her head. "I've asked Frances to bring up some spare sheets and some whisky. Figured you might need it."

Smirking, Polly held open the door. "You stay with her for a while. I'll go downstairs."

As Ada started to step into the room, the loud noise of a door slamming vibrated through the hallway. Knowing immediately who it was, Polly pulled the bedroom door closed once Ada had stepped inside. Taking a few steps, she came face to face with her nephew.

"Where is she?" Tommy demanded.

"She's in the bedroom Thomas. Where else would she be? What I'd like to know, is where the fuck were you?"

"I was dealing with business Pol. Now let me past."

"You're not going in there Thomas. The doctor is with her just now. You can stay out here where you belong and wait. Like we've all had to do. I just hope whatever business it was, it was worth it. Because if I had to see that look of disappointment in her eyes one more time, you were a fuckin' dead man." She warned, her fingertip wagging precariously in front of his face.

Thomas' eyes flew to the closed door behind his Aunt as another scream tore through the air. "I need to be in there Pol."

She shook her head, glancing behind him as Frances appeared at the top of the stairs. "No, you need to be here. Waiting. Here, have a drink." She walked past him, taking the bottle from Frances' tray. "Just leave the sheets on the couch Frances."

Thomas turned as she poured out two glasses, thankfully throwing the liquid down his throat. He had to admit, the last few months had been nervewracking. Despite the different circumstances, he constantly felt that something was going to go wrong and he refused to believe everything would be alright until he felt the soft skin of his newborn baby in his arms. Removing his coat and jacket, he loosened his waistcoat and pulled his holster from his shoulders. Loosening his shirt and tie, he sat down on a nearby chair, accepting he could be in for a long wait. He could kick himself for dealing with business at a time like this. He knew it was likely that Sara could go into labour at any time, but he had convinced himself it wouldn't be that day. Instead, he had gone with Arthur and John to a nearby auction and picked up a new racehorse. Admittedly, he'd found himself back in Mrs Carleton's company at the auction. However, despite their previous dalliances, he knew at that point that he didn't feel anything for her. But he couldn't help feel guilty at the fact he had been spending time with her, when he should have been home, looking after his heavily pregnant wife.

"Hey, you're here now." Polly suddenly said, breaking the silence and somehow reading his thoughts.

"I should have been here hours ago Pol." He said, taking another drink.

"Perhaps." She admitted.

Another scream sounded through the house but this time, it was different. Thomas' head flew up and the crystal glass he had been holding fell to the floor. He got to his feet and started to make moves towards his bedroom door when a hand gripped his arm.

"Not yet Tom. Wait for Ada or the Doctor." She insisted.

A few minutes later, the door opened slowly, revealing his younger sister. Thomas' eyes were wide with anticipation as they fell from her face down to the bundle in her arms. Stepping cautiously towards her, he gazed down, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of the little one's face. Smiling, Ada held the baby out to him. His arms opened up without him realising, and he closed the gap between them.

"Meet your son, Tommy."

His eyes lifted back to her and she could see the light appear back within them. It was a light she hadn't seen for a long time. Not since before France. He gazed back down as he gently pulled his son towards him. The warmth radiating from his little body surged through Thomas' veins at lightening speed and he instantly felt the rush of love as he looked upon the small child. His skin was still red and blotchy and he hadn't yet been fully cleaned, but to Thomas, he was perfect. Polly moved slowly until she was standing beside her nephew.

"Well, he's a Shelby alright. Look at that fist." She laughed gently, looking down to the small clasped fingers.

Tommy rocked him gently in his arms, holding him close to his chest until the little boy let out a small yawn. Just as his mouth closed, his eyes gradually opened. A gasp sounded beside them as Polly clocked the bright blue irises hidden underneath his eyelids.

"A blue eyed babe. Just like his father." She smiled. "Go see your wife."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As he made his way into the bedroom, anticipation was building through him. The doctor was still hurrying around Sara and he couldn't yet lay his eyes on her.

"She's lost a lot of blood Mr Shelby."

The doctor turned to face him. Thomas cradled the young babe in his arms as he made his way towards the bed. His eyes drifted past the older man until they finally landed on his young wife, and immediately his breath caught in his throat. Her eyes were closed, and her skin was peaky, almost grey. He had never seen her looking so helpless.

"She'll make a full recovery, Mr Shelby. She just needs some time." The doctor gave him a brief smile. "But she needs you to take care of that little baby in the meantime. Some rest is the perfect medicine for her."

Thomas nodded, his eyes only drifting between his baby and wife. "Thank you doctor. If you see Polly, she'll make sure you get a stiff drink and something to eat."

The doctor nodded, lifting his coat and bag and making his way towards the door, leaving the new father to make his way over to the nearby bed. It was dark outside and the curtains hadn't been pulled. Moonlight shone through, illuminating the room in addition to the small lamps which were burning nearby. Perching on the side of the bed, Thomas gazed down at his son who had now burrowed his face into his warm embrace, his eyes had closed again and he was sleeping soundly. Satisfied he was settled, Thomas looked back upon his wife, lifting his hand and placing it on top of hers, gently rubbing it with his thumb. He sat like that for a few more moments before being distracted by the sound of the door opening. Turning his head briefly, his eyes fell upon his Aunt and sister.

"How is she?" Polly whispered.

"Tired. Doctor says she just needs to rest." Tommy replied. "Ada, go down and ask Frances to put on a pot of soup. Sara will need something nourishing when she awakens."

Nodding, Ada disappeared back out into the hallway leaving Thomas with his Aunt.

"You should go and get something to eat Thomas." She suggested. "Here, let me take him."

Allowing Polly to take the babe from his arms, he turned back towards Sara, gripping her hand gently. "I'm not hungry Pol. I want to be here when she wakes up."

"You don't know when that will be Thomas. You need to be alert when she does. And you're no good to her if you haven't had anything to eat or haven't had some sleep." Polly rocked the baby gently.

"Very well Pol. If it will keep you quiet." Thomas stated, half joking. He got to his feet and made his way back to the door. "Do you want me to take him?"

"No, no. I'm quite happy here with my great nephew. You just go and get something to eat."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Mrs Shelby, you really should come inside. Its starting to get cool."

Sara looked up as Frances appeared at her side. She hadn't quite noticed the cool air which had descended down upon her. Dressed in her long navy day dress and coat, her sleeves had given her some protection against the breeze. Sitting upon one of the many benches Tommy had constructed around the grounds, she gently pushed the pram, rocking her little boy to sleep. She felt grateful for the brief moment of silence, having spent much of the last four months awake. Despite Thomas' insistence at them hiring a nanny, Sara had refused, insisting on being the ones who raised their child. But she had to admit, it hadn't been easy. Jack had cried almost constantly for at least the first month of his life and despite him settling somewhat, he still hadn't completely settled. He was wrapped up in a woollen knitted blanket that Polly had given them as a present. Feeling his cheeks and satisfied he was warm enough, Sara got to her feet and began pushing the pram back towards the main door. As she arrived on the driveway, the sound of crumbling gravel caused her eyes to drift down to the main gate, smiling as she saw Thomas' car pull up. Coming to a halt, Thomas jumped out and rushed around to them.

"What are you doing outside in this cold?" He scolded her playfully, knowing how much she enjoyed wandering around the grounds. "Come on, lets get inside."

Sara allowed him to take the pram from her, linking her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder.

"You know, its almost Christmas. We should think about our plans. Wouldn't it be lovely, if for Jack's first Christmas, all of the family were here." She smiled up at him.

"Wouldn't that just be lovely." He agreed. "I'll make the arrangements."

"Well hurry won't you. It's tomorrow." She reminded him.

Nodding, he followed Sara into the house, pausing as he reached the bottom of the staircase. Reaching inside, he lifted Jack carefully so as not to wake him. Cradling in his arms, he made his way back over to his wife and handed him over to her outstretched arms.

"You go and relax in the library. I'll bring a couple of drinks through."

Nodding, she turned and made her way there, leaving him behind.

"You had some mail today Mr Shelby." Frances appeared at the top of the staircase. "I've left them in your office."

"Thank you Frances. Can you fetch me a bottle of brandy and two glasses please. Oh and I need to speak with you about Christmas dinner. Mrs Shelby would like to have the family around."

"Very well sir."

Thomas lifted his cap from his head and made his way along to his office. Once he got there, he pushed open the door and allowed his coat to shrug off his shoulders. Hanging it up on the nearby coat hook, he proceeded to also remove his jacket before making his way over to his large mahogany desk. His eyes fell upon the pile of letters which Frances had left for him. Putting on his glasses, he picked them up, quickly flicked through them knowing that there likely wouldn't be anything of any importance considering most business mail went to the main office. As he glanced over them, his eyes fell upon one in particular which bore a post mark from the United States. Curious, he opened it up. Glancing over it. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell upon the large black imprinted hand on the inside of the card and the written words.

'Merry Christmas to you and your family."

Changretta.