Passion Bearers

The family

Life was beginning to gain a slower pace in the city.

Just as he promised, Tommy stationed two men with Tess while she went to the hospital and back. Martha, John's wife, already worked in the hospital, so Tess actually looked forward to going there everyday. She got a few odd looks from the staff because of her last name but otherwise, there were no problems.

Being a nurse was harder than she expected. While Tess was used to cleaning wounds of her kin, she was not used to doing excruciatingly awkward tasks including prostate exams. She still hasn't gotten over the first time she had to perform it on a very sweaty middle aged man and then consequently, having to throw up in the bathroom, for once not because of her pregnancy.

Martha helped her out a lot with the different tasks expected of a nurse, many of which were disgusting, hard or both. She even with helped Tess with her pregnancy, seeing as Martha was pretty much a veteran now that she was pregnant with her third child with John, the first two being fraternal twins. Martha took her to a clinic with the midwives and got Tess tested for the baby, who the midwives all said was healthy and strong.

So far, everything was going as it should have. Even though Tess missed the fresh air and the countryside, she was beginning to get used to the smoke and dirty streets of the city.

One day, Tess was going to check if Tommy was at the Shelby main house, where the betting shop was, when she saw the whole family gathered at the table. As usual, they were gathered around a bottle of whiskey, cigarette smoke clouding the air. Tess guessed that Ada was probably in the adjacent room, looking after John's kids and Finn.

"Why is everyone here?", she asked Tommy, walking up to stand beside him.

Tommy gave her a once over, as if to check if she was alright.

He did it often these days, since he worried for the baby. But, a small part of Tess liked to think was because of the way they've grown close as a family. After they shared the bed for the first time together as a married couple, Tess agreed to be physically intimate with him. And whilst she opened doors for him in the bedroom, Tommy has opened up to her emotionally and gave her the respect that a husband would give his wife.

Even still, Tess didn't like to fool herself into thinking that she needed anything more. She was content with the way things were, she told herself. She once read somewhere that good marriages were built on trust, not on love. Therefore, she tried to shy away from that subject, closing it off her mind for now.

"It's a family meeting", Polly informed her as she took a jittery drag of her cigarette, her kohl-lined eyes scanning Tess just as Tommy did before her, "Well would you look at that. Looks like somebody will be in labour by next month".

Tess smiled, glad that Pollyw as in a good mood this once. Usually, if Polly was irritated, she never minded Tess. Tess didn't take offence. It was Polly's way, she thought that trusting anyone outside of her blood would only cause harm to the Shelby family.

Growing up in a close knit family, Tess tended to agree.

" The midwives said that it will pop out in two months, Pol", Tommy said, tapping Tess' stomach.

Arthur and John watched Tommy's happy expressions with teasing smiles on their faces from the sidelines. John's arms were wrapped around Martha, who just returned from the shift a bit earlier than Tess'.