Chapter twenty-six: In search of Peter Pan
Three weeks later,
The boom of thunder caused Kate's eyes to fly open. She exhales deeply and sighs. She'd just managed to fall asleep, now with the storm; she'd never be able to fall back asleep immediately. Her room is drafty and cold. She flips on the light by her nightstand and carefully gets out of the bed.
She'd been stuck in this bed for almost 3 weeks and it was driving her insane. The pain was almost non-existent now, but the doctor insisted she stay in bed. Ada had kept her company for three days and they'd discussed some upcoming social events and plans. She was sad to see Ada leave, they'd become friends during her brief stay. Ada did call her on occasion to check in and they had lovely conversations.
Thomas, Ruby and Charlie regularly checked in on her throughout the day. They joined her for lunch and tea up in her room and the two children babbled about what they'd done that day. She suspected Thomas had been using their marriage to his advantage to deal with some of his business on the side. He always checked in on her every night before going to bed to see if she needed anything. She never did, but they'd still wind up talking for almost 30 minutes before he finally went to his chambers. When he left, Kate felt the loneliness and sadness she had when she was single.
Halloween was 5 days away and the decorators would be arriving later this morning to get the house ready for the party. She'd run the list by Thomas last week and he'd approved, after forcing her to promise that she'd stay seated. She'd actually invited a few friends that she hadn't seen in years, because she knew that they had children around Charlie and Ruby's age.
Kate exhaled as she carefully got of the bed. The thunder crashed loudly, causing her to jump as she lit her candle. She stood up and made her way towards the fireplace. There was wood in the hearth, so after checking the flue, she lit the fire. After making sure, the fire was blazing nicely, she lid the candle on the vanity and carefully walked down the hall.
She walked barefoot, so her feet didn't make a sound on the floor. As she passed the nursery, she heard crying. She went to the door, opened it and turned on the light. The children were nowhere to be seen.
"Charlie?" her heart rose into her throat for a moment. "Ruby?"
"Here." Charlie hiccuped as he came out from under his bed, with Ruby behind him.
"Oh," she beckoned for them to approach her. "come here. Scared of the storm?"
Ruby nods. "It's loud!"
Another bang of thunder causes them all to jump. Kate leans over and picks up Ruby, who's getting heavier. "It is loud tonight." She exhales deeply as she shifts Ruby so she's not leaning onto her chest. "Alright you two, let's go to my room." their faces light up as she switches off the light. "I'll read you two Peter Pan, until you fall asleep."
Charlie scampers ahead to her room and claims the right side of the large bed. Kate grabs Peter Pan from the bookcase before getting under the covers. She smiles as both the children lay on their sides and she delves into the magical story of Peter Pan and before long, both of them are sound asleep. She carefully leans over to turn out her light with a smile on her face.
So, this is what a taste of motherhood was like? She liked it.
Kate jumps as her alarm clock goes off. It's 8:00. She sighs and begrudgingly sits up in bed, waking up two sleepy heads on either side of her. "No." Ruby moans as she turns on her side.
Kate laughs. "We have to get up, you two have school."
"Don't want it."
"Too bad. Come on, I've got work to do."
Ruby's head shoots up. "You're not supposed to be up!"
"Today, I get up."
"Daddy's going to be mad at you."
"Probably." Kate laughs as she lifts Ruby out her spot and wiggles towards the edge of the bed. "Come on, I've got people coming at 8:30 and you two need to eat." Ruby yawns and shuffles blindly towards the door with Charlie. She laughs and grabs her pink robe from the bed. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your room."
"Thanks for reading to us." Charlie says as she secures her robe. "It was fun. Lizzie never let us stay with her."
"That's because, I'm sure she stayed with your father. There wasn't room for both of you." Kate opens the door and steps into the hall. "We're almost done with Peter Pan. We shall have to find you a new book."
"There they are!" Someone shouts. "With Mrs. Shelby!"
Kate frowns and peers over the railing, along with Charlie and Ruby as Thomas comes tearing up the stairs, worry on his face. Kate gasps and covers her mouth as she realizes that the entire household must have been looking for those two for the last fifteen minutes.
"Charlie! Ruby!" Thomas nearly trips on the last step. "Are you two alright?"
They look confused by his reaction as he kneels at their level. "Yes." Charlie says hesitantly. "We were with Kate."
"I am so sorry about all of this." She says as she pulls the robe tighter against her. He stands up abruptly. "They were scared of the thunderstorm last night, so I-
"They're not allowed of their rooms at night." Now, he was getting upset. She could understand, he was their father and she'd probably worried him half to death. "Didn't they tell you this?!"
Both children shifted uncomfortably. They hadn't told her that, they'd forgotten to inform her. Kate made a decision in a split second. "Yes, but I wasn't going to leave them in the room when they were terrified." Both the children stared up at her in shock. Thomas was upset and she'd rather take the heat than those two.
"Those rules are put in place for a reason." He bites out.
"I'm sorry; I just felt that it was best-
"They're my children!" He shouted at her, causing her to jump. "You don't do anything without consulting me! Do you understand that?"
Kate stared at him, shock coursing through her veins for a minute. Then, she got angry. How dare he talk to her like that!? She was his wife and their marriage made her the mother of his children! She wasn't a child and she'll be damned if she's going to allow him to treat her like she did something wrong! "Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that, Thomas Michael Shelby!?"
He had a right to be upset; she understood that, he was their father. However, she was his wife and by all accounts, their mother!
Thomas stared at her, Kate was furious, but then so was he. She'd taken his children in the middle of the night, causing him to worry and upset the whole household! What was she even doing out of the bed? Didn't she care that she was going to injury herself further? He strode towards and Kate walked backwards, taking two steps for each of his one. He stopped instantly, realizing that she was trying to get away from him. Did she think he was going to hit her?
"Don't yell at Kate." Charlie stood in-between the two of them. "She didn't mean it!"
Ruby started crying. "It's our fault!"
"We didn't tell her the rules." Charlie stated. "She lied and said we did…so we wouldn't get in trouble."
Thomas turns towards her and asked. "That true?" He was surprised that she'd lie about so little a thing.
"It doesn't matter if it's true or not!" She states. "I'm your wife, the woman you married. By all accounts, I should be allowed to behave as their mother. They were scared! You do not have the right to shout at me because I showed some motherly instincts!"
"You're not their mother." Polly bit out. "You have no right to take them out of their room."
"Oh, so I should have left them crying on the floor, under their beds because they were terrified?" She demanded, causing Thomas to feel a twinge of guilt. "I wasn't going to abandon them!"
"It's not your right!" Polly snapped.
"I'm aware that I'm not equal to everyone in this house." Again, she managed to wound him with her sharp words. "But even you wouldn't have left them crying as you wanted me to do! I wasn't aware of the rule in place, if I were, I'd have left a note as to their whereabouts."
"Enough of this." Thomas barks. Kate inhales sharply and he studies her carefully. He could see she was ready for a fight and Thomas decided in that second that this wasn't worth a fight. "You're right. You're my wife and now, the mother of my children." Those words broke her; he could see it in her eyes. he holds her gaze. "I'm sorry Kate."
Her eyes widen in surprise. "You don't do apologies."
"Just this once, because you deserve it."
She bites her lip, debating for a moment before exhaling and stepping towards him. "I'm sorry as well. Don't you ever treat me like that again Thomas. I put up with that kind of treatment from my father and my brother. I won't tolerate it from you."
He should have known his temper would have caused her to react in such a manner. God only knew how her father had treated her. She'd suggested that she'd grown up in an abusive household, now, he'd given her the impression that she'd married into one. He didn't want her to think like that.
"I know, I know." he assures her as he places his hands on her shoulders. She exhales and rubs her eyes. "I want you to know, I'd never lay a hand on you Kate, even when I'm angry."
"Thank you." she croaks as she places her hands underneath his elbows. "I know you won't but….I just remember my dad hitting me and, that part of me wasn't sure."
He simply nods as he pulls her into his arms for a tight hug and a kiss on her brow. She exhales and holds onto him; he can feel the tension leaving her body. "We good?"
"In a minute." She mumbles against his chest. He inhales deeply, noting her hair smells like roses today. "It's going to be bumpy for a bit."
He nods. "Yeah. But….I think we'll make it work."
Kate sighs. "I agree, Thomas Shelby." She pulls back. "Can we talk later today or tonight, so I can be aware of what rules are in place so something like this doesn't happen again?"
He nods. "Alright." she smiles and he starts to guide her back to her room. "Right, back to bed with you."
"I have visitors coming." She explained, which immediately caused him to start shaking his head. "No, I'm not cancelling. Halloween is coming up and I have to prepare for the party." He opens his mouth to object, but she places a finger on his lips. "I'll be fine. I promise." She then peered around his shoulder and stated. "Ruby, Charlie, go get dressed, now please!"
"Yes!" And they ran down the hall to the nursery.
Thomas exhales. "Promise me you'll be careful."
"I will." Thomas planted another kiss on her forehead and she closed her eyes, breathing him. In spite of having had their first real fight as husband and wife, she still loved these little moments together. She was going to enjoy this little life they were slowly starting to build together.
