A Twist In Time

A Broken Heart

"Polly, Merry's got an appointment at the hospital," I told her as she came into the house. I couldn't keep the worry from my face or my voice. "She's not been feeling well and she had some bleeding."

"Is she alright?" Polly asked, her lips tilting down as she thought about my sister.

"I'm not sure, but I'd really appreciate it if you came with us," I said, biting my lip as I waited for her rejection. She was a busy person. Why would she make time for two 'orphaned' girls? "We don't have our mother anymore and I know Merry looks up to you, as do I."

"I'll come." She gave me a soft smile to stop my mumbling."When is it?"

"Tomorrow." I could see the conflict in her eyes. Tomorrow was my day off and the day she would tend to the children. It was causing a predicament for us.

"I'll watch the children," Ada said, reminding us that she was here. She was flipping through a letter, which had been sent to her with the arrival of letters for Finn and John's kids. "You have a letter." She held out the letter in our direction, waving the paper in my face.

In a delicate script was my name and I frowned as I took the paper from her, sliding my finger under the flap to open it.

August 3rd, 1916,

Dear Romy,

Thank you for writing to me.

I've received Finn's letter, it's good that he's learning to read and write. You must have your hands full watching John's kids. It'll be good for them to have someone else around the house.

Polly tells me you've begun training as a nurse during your evenings. Surely you don't have the time for that? Sorry, that was rude. I'm sure your training will come in handy if needed.

I think it's selfish of me to just want you safe with my family. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Thank you for caring for my family,

Tommy.

"Is it from Tommy?" Polly asked, glancing over my shoulder as she caught sight of her nephew's handwriting.

"Hmm," I muttered, frowning at the letter. He didn't need to write back to me. I wasn't expecting it, I only wrote to him for Finn's sake. I wasn't expecting to receive a letter from him three weeks later.

"Are you gonna write back?" Ada asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Should I? I mean, I only wrote to him for Finn's sake."

"And he wrote back." Ada gave me a pointed look and I was starting to feel that she did this to all her friends. Not that I'd call myself her friend. I'd only been in Small Heath for ten weeks and while knowing her for that long, she'd only recently started speaking to me. "Write back to him."

"I'll think about it, Ada," I muttered, slipping the letter back into the envelope and shoved it into my coat pocket. "I'm taking the children for a walk, we'll be back before dinner."

I felt like the floor had been taken from under my feet.

Why did it seem that everything that could go wrong would?

Polly was quiet as she followed us out of the hospital and Merry, well Merry was distraught. She was cradling her stomach as she fought through her sobs.

"What will you do?"

I knew what Polly meant. She was wondering what Merry would do. There was no questioning what Merry would do. I already knew what she was going to do.