Without You, There is No Point in Surviving

Chapter 26 Smoke on the Horizon

"Sweeney! Come here, love. I made a new flavor combination for this sweet pie and I need your taste buds."

"Your experimentations with flavors don't always work too well, my dear." Sweeney said, his silhouette leaning on the door frame inside the kitchen.

Nellie placed her hands on her hips with a playful scowl. He was referring to her worst pies in London with the flavorings that she'd never admit the truth to. She took a small round pie from the cooling rack, holding it up to him. "It's chocolate and peach with a dash of chili pepper on top."

He looked at the pastry in her hands, unimpressed. "Chili pepper?"

"Mhmm, it adds a little spice." She held the pie closer to his face. "Please try it, just a bite?"

He sighed taking the pie from her hands and took a bite.

She bit her lip as he took his time thinking about the flavor. One of his brows cocked towards the ceiling in suspicion. "It's not bad." He admitted and she sighed in relief.

"Really?" she picked up another pie from the tray taking a bite herself. "Hmm, it's delicious." She mused then chuckled, seeing Sweeney take huge gulps of water. "If you like spicy things I suppose."

Nellie moved the spicy sweet pies over to the table where they could finish cooling and not take up all her counter space. She pulled out a few potatoes to begin peeling. "How does a chicken shepherd's pie sound for dinner love?"

"Sounds fine." Sweeney mumbled.

"Then be a dear and slice the chicken into pieces for me. My back is killing me already. I'd be in my shop still if it wasn't for this little bugger causing me pains."

"It won't be too long now." he mused, slicing the white meat in front of him into thin strips.

"Speaking of, I still haven't heard word from Nettie. I don't know what in bleedin' hell is wrong." The knife glided through the potato expertly removing the skins where they fell into the bin. "I hope she didn't die; you know." She said with a light snort. "Surely I would've heard word if she did." Nellie paused her peeling, staring out the window at nothing in particular. "Then again, Nettie's the only one in my family who knows that I'm alive. After what that wanted poster said about me."

"Perhaps its lost in the post."

"Could be." Nellie looked down at the potato, moving the knife to remove the last bit of brown peeling when something small and sharp poked her hard just under her left rib. The movement was so sudden, it caught her off guard and instead of the paring knife gliding across the potato, it gliding right off of Nellie's fore finger.

The knife in Sweeney's hand clattered to the wooden floor as Nellie yelped loudly followed by an awry of colorful language. Nellie clutched her hand continuing to seethe and curse. Blood dripped from her hand into the bin. "Hold still" Sweeney told her, rushing to find a bandage. He reached for a napkin, since it was the closest. He gently steered Nellie to the table to sit down, holding the quickly growing blood-soaked napkin to her hand. "Here, sit down." he pulled out the chair, easing her into it.

"I'm alright." Nellie said as Sweeney grabbed more napkins, wetting a few of them in cool water.

"Sweeney." She called, her good hand resting against her stomach.

"Keep pressure on it." he urged, grasping her bloodied hand with the clean napkins.

"Sweeney," Nellie grasps ahold of one of his hands placing it on her stomach. They paused for a minute, relishing in the tiny kicks coming from beneath Nellie's dress. For a second, Sweeney was convinced he'd start crying. "Little dear gave me quite the fright, it did." Nellie laughed.