Ellie DeWitt Bukater: Part II

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Tommy

"Thomas, what did you do?" Sarah was already in the bedroom seconds after El stormed out, shutting the door behind her, "You're both lucky you didn't wake the kids."

"Assuming it's all my fault?" I picked the necklace off the ground, handing it to Sarah to examine for herself, "I didn't do a damn thing," I sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph," she gasped, "What is it?"

"Some diamond worth millions, Sarah. Millions."

"My God," her eyes widened. She placed it gently on the dresser, "I knew she was from an affluent family but I didn't know it was like this."

"Yeah, well, there's a lot you and I don't know I guess," I sighed, "How the hell am I supposed to trust her after this?"

"I don't think she hid this with the intention of hurting you, Thomas," Sarah took a seat next to me, "She has issues with her family, she clearly kept it hidden for a reason. There may be more to her situation than you realize."

"Ah, so you're taking her side."

"I'm not taking any sides," she rolled her eyes, "I just think she needs the chance to explain herself."

"She's had five months to do that."

"You're being a bit hard on her."

"Really?" I scoffed.

"Yes! Thomas, she loves you. I see the way she looks at you," she paused briefly, "That girl left her whole family, the whole life she knew, for you."

"Easy enough, she hated all of that."

"You really think she would have done that if she was just looking to fulfill a poor girl fantasy? Why go through all of this just to find a way out in the end?"

"You heard that one, huh?" I stood up, anxiously running my hand through my hair. Part of me wished I could take those words back.

"Of course I did," she sighed, "She's had a luxurious life, Thomas. Let's be honest, it that was something she truly wanted she never would have batted an eye at you."

She was right. And that was one of the things that drew me to El in the first place. I told her from the beginning she wasn't like the rest of them.

"That's beside the point," I said, "She doesn't even know what being poor is like, we've been here."

"It doesn't matter. She wants to be with you."

"She'll run the minute things get hard."

"No she won't," Sarah shook her head, "She just walked out of here with a suitcase in hand," she pointed towards the dreaded necklace on the dresser, "and she left that behind."

"She'll be back to get it."

"I don't think so. You need to do right by that girl and get her."

"Sarah..." My voice trailed off in annoyance.

"Ellie loves you, Thomas!" She stood up, scolding me now, "Stop being defensive. She's not going to run, she just wants a life with you. You might fail to see that right now, but I don't."

"That piece of jewelry over there could change our lives for the better, Sarah," I began, "And she chose to just let that go."

"Because she's lived that life, Thomas! And maybe she knows you could have all the money in the world and not be better off."

"Would certainly help."

"It may. Or it could ruin what you two have," she paused for a moment, "You have said from the moment you stepped foot here you wanted to build a life of your own, to the point where you won't even accept a decent job offer from your uncle," she wasn't wrong. I looked away from her, "This isn't about the money. It's the fact that she hid this from you, and you're scared."

I couldn't answer her. I just continued to look away.

I didn't want to lose El.

"You love her, don't you?"

"Of course I do," I admitted quietly, "I can already see having kids with her."

"Then this is something you can talk through," she placed her hand on my shoulder, "Let her talk and give her the chance to explain everything. She's obviously struggling."

"I just don't get why she wouldn't talk to me about this sooner."

"Maybe she was afraid of your reaction. Money like that changes people. In the end, it is her business and her business alone."

"Not when you love someone. You're supposed to work together."

"Even people that were handed everything in life like her still have their personal struggles they need to work through," she stated.

I stayed silent for a moment, pressing my back against the wall in thought. There was truth to what she said. I didn't know everything El went through with her family. Sure, she talked to me about her father and a bit about her mother. But I never knew the depth of everything she and Rose had gone through. In reality, we had known each other for a short time. There was a whole life of hers I still had to get to know.

"I don't even know what to say to her."

"Of course you do," she grinned, "You can start with 'I'm sorry.'"

"Uh huh." I couldn't help but smirk a bit.

"And a big gesture always helps," she turned, retreating to her bedroom.

"What are ya talking about?"

"Well I was savin' this. Maybe for James or Lizzie, I haven't been too sure what to do with it," she came back quickly, holding a small velvet box in her hand, "But I think Ellie is deservin' of it."

She shoved the velvet box in my hand, and I opened it to reveal a sparkling emerald ring, wrapped in a gold band. My eyebrows raised.

"You really think a proposal is going to fix everything?"

"No," she shook her head, "You do with that what you will. I just think it may be a good way to show how much you love her and how despite all of this, you want to spend the rest of your life with her."

"Where did you even get this?"

"It was your grandmother's," she smiled warmly, "Your mom got the wedding ring after she passed. I got the engagement ring. Matches Ellie's eyes doesn't it?"

I felt my face blush a bit, and I shut the box quickly.

"You don't have to do this, Sarah. It's not the right time anyway."

"It will never feel like the right time," she replied flatly, "As I said, do with it what you will. But she deserves it."

"Well...thanks," I was caught a bit off guard. I shoved the box in my pocket, deciding holding onto it might not be such a bad idea after all. "This is more than generous of ya."

"Don't mention it. Besides, I won't have the two of you living together without plans of marriage first. Bad enough you'll be together out of wedlock."

I couldn't tell if she was teasing or was completely serious. I brushed it off.

"I don't know where she could have run off to."

"She really enjoys taking long walks with the kids to Central Park," she shrugged, "I'd start there."

"I'll find her," I was determined in making things right now, "There's just a stop I have to make first."

"What do you have up your sleeve, Thomas?"

"You said to make a grand gesture right?" I grinned, "I think I might have an idea."