VULNERABLE | thomas shelby

☆T H I R T Y-E I G H T ☆

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT; HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALVIN

TOMMY WALKED THROUGH the graveyard, his feet crunching over the autumn covered leafs as he made his ways through a lane of graves. He stopped walking, glancing down at Beth who sat against the tree outside her parents graveyard her eyes already on him. "When did you leave?" Tommy asked softly. Beth shrugged staring down at the graves. "Last night, I couldn't sleep so I left and came here." She murmured.

Tommy nodded slowly, looking over at the graves labelled 'ROBERT CLOVER' and 'ISABELLA CLOVER'. "Are you okay?" Beth asked, bitting down on her lip. Tommy nodded once again. "I am, are you?" He answered quietly crouching down to sit onto the leaves that lay along the ground. Beth shrugged, feeling her eyes watered. "I ruined our chance of a family by getting drunk with John and today's my dead brothers birthday." She whispered, laughing dryly as a tear rolled down her porcelain skin.

Tommy reached over grasping Beth's hand in his, and she shuffled closer, placing her head onto his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Tommy. I shouldn't have gone drinking with John. I didn't know and now-now-." Beth paused, clenching her eyes shut. Tommy squeezed her hand tightly in his and shook his head. "Don't blame yourself love, you didn't know. None of us did. I know for a fact that if you had have known you were pregnant you would never had gotten drunk with John. It's not your fault."

Beth sighed, wiping her eyes. "This was our chance. We could have had a baby, got married and moved into our country home. Just me and you. A perfect life that we don't deserve." Beth laughed. Tommy let out a small laugh and shook his head. "If you want a baby that badly, we won't stop trying until I know that you are pregnant and that our baby is safe and that you are safe. We don't need a baby to be happy Beth, we were just as happy on our own but if you want a baby then I will do whatever it takes until I see a baby in your hands."

Beth looked up at Tommy and pushed him playfully laughing through her tears. "Your just using an excuse to have sex me." She teased. "I don't know why it's hurting so badly Tom. I cried when Polly suggested it because I was afraid and not even two days later I'm crying because I had a miscarriage." Tommy squeezed Beth's small hand in his. "It just all happened so fast, you got worried and then you got your hopes up. It's going to hurt for a little while longer Beth."

Beth glanced up to Tommy, leaning over she placed a kiss to his cheekbone. "You must be hurting too. You can tell me Tommy. You know I won't judge you." Beth whispered. Tommy sighed and began to stand up, holding his hand out to Beth to take as he towered over her. Beth placed her hand into Tommy's and allowed him to pull her up to her feet. "I've been hurting for a long time now Beth, but so have you. It's just making us stronger."

Beth and Tommy walked hand and hand through the row of graves, the Autumn air pushing Beth's blonde hair back from her face and their feet crunching against the leafs. "Calvin will look after our little one." Tommy announced, pulling open the rusting gate. Beth walked through first feeling as if she was stepping into the real world again she nodded. "Happy birthday Calvin." She murmured.  "Happy birthday Calvin." Tommy repeated before walking Beth down the hill that led back to Small Heath.

•

Later that day, the Shelby brothers were tucked away in the snug interviewing candidates for a job. Beth waited outside in the busy Garrison, stood behind a counter she served people to take her mind off her troubles and when Arthur tried to stop her (telling her to take the day off) but the murderous look that Tommy sent him quickly quietened him down and he left the blonde to serve pints in his new pub.