The Poisoned Rose

Chapter Forty-Eight

Pacing around the drawing room, Rose periodically sighed, "Why aren't they back yet?"

"I don't like this Rose." Lizzie replied, "This war is horrible."

Agreeing with her friend, she nodded her head, "No war has ever been good. People get hurt, people get killed. War, I thought I had already fought enough for my lifetime. Yet Tommy, he's always loved to fight, needs to be in a war."

"We may be able to finish the war peacefully, stop anyone from getting hurt."

"No." Rose immediately shook her head, "Either Tommy or Michael must die for this war to end."

Cars pulled up outside and then loud shouts were heard coming from them, chaos erupted as Lizzie and Rose ran out to see what was wrong. 

It was as though her whole world had come crashing down as she watched as they pulled John's bleeding body out of the car, a worried doctor accompanying him. 

"Get out of the way!" Tommy yelled at his men, wanting to get his brother in the house as quickly as possible. 

Her senses returned and Rose rushed over to them, "Put him in our room," She shouted as she pushed Tommy away from them, "Follow me!"

He was in pain. That was obvious. As he lay on the bed, writhing in agony. Rose knelt beside him, her hand holding his tightly. 

"No one is allowed in this room!" She ordered Arthur, "Only the doctor and I are allowed to be in here, make sure none of them come in."

And that was how things remained, Rose remained by her husband's side watching as he grew weaker and weaker until finally he hardly moved at all. 

After several days of this, she finally made her way downstairs, finally listening to the men wanting to know what had happened. They all turned to stare at her disheveled appearance, she was not the same women she had been only days earlier. 

"How is he?" Arthur asked immediately, "Is he going to be okay?"

But at the same time, Tommy yelled, "Where are the women and children? Where have you taken them?"

"They are somewhere safe, somewhere far away from here." Rose informed him, "But you cannot know where they are." 

Arthur rested his hand on her shoulder, "John, what about John?"

She broke down, the first time they had ever seen her break, "He's not very well Arthur! He's dying." Tears fell down her pale cheek, "The doctor says the next few days shall be touch and go  in whether he survives. The chances of him living are low, they don't think he'll make it past the end of this week."

No one knew what to say or what to do. 

"What happened?" She demanded, "Who did this to him?"

Tommy refused to look her in the eye as Arthur told her exactly what happened, "We were fighting Rose, so of course everything was complicated and chaotic. Tommy went to shoot Michael but John pushed him out of the way, he saved him."

"So who shot him?"

"Rose." 

"Who shot him?"

"I did." Tommy admitted.

She stood so close to him, he could feel her breath against his neck, "I will never be able to forgive you."