Oceans [A.Shelby]

TWENTY-NINE

Small Heath, December 1921

TWO WEEKS LATER, at the beginning of December Lillian returned home by train, accompanied by Ada and Karl for Freddie's funeral.

Lillian was what the Doctor thought her to be four months or so into her pregnancy, Lillian was thankful for fashionable attire as her clothing hid her well. She had certainly put on a few pounds.

That was a task she set to accomplish while she was in Small Heath, tell her husband that at last, they were to have their own child. She was sure Arthur would be surprised as in all their years together they had never tried preventing anything. Lillian was sure she would never have children.

The train carriage was quiet for the most part, however Lillian could feel Ada's scrutinizing gaze on her as she read the daily newspaper.

"There's something different about you," Ada stated, she puzzled over what exactly was different about her sister-in-law.

"I do have a shade of rouge on today, it's called baby something, could it perhaps be that?" Lillian glanced up from her paper in amusement.

"No- it's not that," Ada dismissed the idea.

"Perhaps it's my new clothing, I wasn't fitting into my skirts anymore and my tops aren't far off. I'll probably need new dresses too," Lillian listed off, Ada thinking as she spoke.

"No it's not that-" Ada paused as her eyes widened a fraction, "you jammy bugger, you're pregnant aren't you!"

Lillian glanced over the top of her newspaper once more, before closing it with a smile.

"'I'm supposedly due in May, Polly said it'll be a boy but I'm still not sure I believe her."'

"Karl will have a cousin! I bet Arthur's excited, he's always wanted a son," Ada grinned, it was quite refreshing to see her smile after two weeks of frowns, "let there be life, I'm fed up of death!"

Lillian gave Ada a small smile in response, "I'm sure he will be in some fashion, once I've told him that is."

Ada's smile turned into a glare, one which she gave Karl when he had done something wrong or hadn't done as she'd asked.

"Don't give me that look, I'll tell him, if he's sober minded once we get home." She promised her sister-in-law, but the pair both knew that the likelihood Arthur Shelby would be sober at 6pm was slim.

At Small Heath train station, John picked the pair and Karl up, Lillian had always been very sceptical about John's driving, the man was reckless behind a wheel.

"Thank fuck you're back, sort him out will ya, he's down that bloody ring everyday. There's kids that are volunteering and he's knocking 'em out" John shook his head.

"That's what boxing is, John," Ada mused.

"You haven't saw him box, Ada," John replied, "he's mental in there"

The smell of smoke and alcohol lingered under her nose as Lillian opened the front door of her home. Her eyes rolled at the smell as she carried her case inside, letting the door bang shut behind her with a push.

"Honey I'm home," Lillian's voice drawled sarcastically as she took in the sight of her husband asleep on the sofa.

Her feet carried her to the kitchen where she grabbed the last glass out of the cupboard, filled it with water and walked over to her husband, pouring the water over his face.

Arthur jumped awake, startled and shouting, "who the fuck!"

Lillian crossed her arms as she stood in front of him with a raised brow and a clenched jaw. Arthur looked around their living room like a scolded child avoiding their mothers gaze.

"By the state of you I can only guess that you've spent the past few weeks drinking and smoking, and what's this?" Lillian questioned as she picked a bottle up from the side table, a funny looking medicine name on the bottle that both intrigued but concerned Lillian.

"Arthur who gave you this?" Lillian asked as she read the label skeptically, she certainly didn't understand what any of the words meant, however Lillian was sure Arthur didnt go to a real licensed Doctor and the medication was most probably one that was given to an animal of some kind.

"A Doctor," He stated.

"And you've been drinking while taking this? Arthur, the bottle says no alcohol! You're going to drink yourself 6 feet deep, perhaps theyll make extra room in Freddie's grave. Christ I'm going to be a widower before I'm 30." Lillian stressed as she let out a huff, grabbing the empty bottles littering the room, placing them in the kitchen sink, glancing at the other mess around the downstairs before she decided against helping her husband today his own mess.

"Sober up Arthur, then we need to talk." She told him, "and don't get taking these while whiskey's still in your system or you'll end up in hospital,"

Lillian left her husband to deal with his state alone.

"Oh dear, Auntie Lil's in a mood Karl" Polly looked down at her nephew as they both saw Lillian storm through the door.

"Karl if you want to pick a favourite Uncle, pick Finn." Lillian told, the toddler looking at her in confusion.

"It's the medicine isn't it, I knew you wouldn't be happy." The Aunt knew already, she shared a similar opinion to what she was sure Lillian was thinking, and she knew Lillian still believed if Arthur stopped drinking as much as he did, start talking through his demons and keeping himself busy then he would feel happier and lighter.

"Poll the label says not to take with alcohol, there's bottle's and glasses everywhere, the house stinks! I can't do it anymore. I can't, I can't watch him self destruct. And if it's not that it's boxing!" She held a hand to her head to calm the headache that had already began to form.

"Well if you told him about the baby, perhaps it'll knock something into him. I wouldn't call it sense, but something along the lines," Ada said as she entered the room after listening from the kitchen.

"I'd like to think so, but we go through this frequently, he feels better, then he feels worse. I'm not running away, I'm not. But we're going to have a baby, some things need to change."

"Some things never change, Lil," Polly reminded the woman, Lillian certainly knew the truth, but was it so bad that she wanted to feel optimistic and hopeful?