Promises Not Kept

21

          Everything about John's funeral was dramatic. It was something he might've actually enjoyed. He always reveled in a little bit of chaos. But things calmed down once Leah was brought to the hospital and the Italian's bodies were shipped off.

Tommy's fiancee was placed in the same room as Michael so the men protecting him could also keep a close eye on her. She'd come to when they were still in the field beside the burning vardo. Polly knelt down next to her, propping her head up on the dew-covered grass while Ada and Tommy stood over her arguing.

"The first person they're going to go after is your fiancee, Tommy, they already killed Grace!" The Shelby woman shouted.

With frayed nerves, Tommy was more than happy to oblige his sister and yelled back at her. "Don't talk about things you don't know anything about!"

"Right because I'm just a stupid woman. Stupid Ada who knows nothing. I know that Grace was killed by Italians. What's stopping them from killing Leah too?"

"They're trying to fucking kill all of us, Ada!"

Leah's head still spun, her hand reaching for Tommy, trying to calm him down. Instead, Polly gently took her lifted hand and pressed a cold cloth to her forehead.

"Stop bickering and help me get her to the car." Polly snapped at her niece and nephew.

Tommy huffed and stooped to scoop Leah up in his arms. Bringing her to the car, he assured her nothing would happen and not to listen to Ada. She simply pressed her face into his shoulder and closed her eyes. She didn't know who to listen to anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael was still out cold when Leah felt well enough to sit up. She was glad to see the young man was properly stitched up. She didn't know much about medicine but he appeared to have a good chance of surviving.

After she sat up, Polly came into the room. She scolded the men slacking off by the door and confiscated their flasks before sending them out to the hall.

"How are you feeling?" The older woman asked as she slipped off her coat and draped it over Michael's legs.

"Better, thank you. I just think it was shock." She admitted. "I wasn't expecting all of that."

Polly frowned as she sat down. None of them were but maybe they should've gotten used to Tommy's surprise tactics. It would make life a lot easier. "Have you been ill?" She wondered.

Leah shook her head. "No, I've been fine. Maybe just a little..." She sighed and shrugged. "It's been a difficult few months. I mean, nothing like what you went through, I'm sure."

She didn't want to talk about her time in prison and how Tommy was the one to put her there. "You're not pregnant, right?"

Her eyes widened a little in shock. She wasn't expecting the question. "No, I uh...I bled last week." She explained shyly.

"Good." Polly nodded firmly. Now was not the time to have a baby. Not in the state they were in. A war.

Leah nodded absent-mindedly and ran her fingers through her hair to fix it. She found a few pieces of grass that had tangled in her blonde curls after lying on the ground. "Tommy and I...I feel like we haven't even slept in the same bed in ages." She whispered. Shame settled deep in her bones. How pathetic it was to spend such little time with her fiancee, to be so cold towards each other.

"My nephew is a complicated man." Polly agreed and pulled the chair up closer to Leah. Her face had softened since the funeral. It appeared her aggression was only directed towards Tommy and didn't include his fiancee. If anything she felt bad for the young woman. Anyone who fell for such a man was in for a surprise, and not necessarily anything good. She loved Tommy but he was a huge pain in the ass.