#and i get yelled at dor sneezing too late at night so

[mxpseudonym]

Just Good Business VI

Pairing: Tommy x Reader

Reader Gender Expression: She/Her pronouns, “wife”

Summary: You’re ready to have a baby, and Tommy is nowhere to be found

Length: 1641 words (allegedly)

Warnings: A baby is delivered

A/N: Thank you to the eager beavers who wanted to see what happens next in this series. I honestly didn’t realize it had been so long since part V! One more part left!

Part I | Part VII

You could honestly say you'd never felt like this before. 

As you entered nine months of pregnancy, you wondered what was going to drive you crazy first. It was either your inability to do much more than waddle a few centimeters at a time or the Shelby's coddling. 

"Arthur, it's fine," you moaned. And yet your brother-and-law was up and opening a window after you sneezed. 

"It's stuffy in here," he declared. 

"I've got a cake!" Finn walked in with a cake in hand while Ada followed with the tea tray. You sighed and shifted up on the couch you were reclined on. Your appetite had been non-existent for the past couple of weeks, and nothing had changed. 

"I brought tea and some toast just in case," Ada said with all the wisdom of a mother. 

"Thank you all, I appreciate it. I really feel fine, though," you promised. 

"Oh, you're saying that now, but that's only because it's your first. When my water broke with Karl, Polly took me to walk around for a while before I really started feeling anything," she said. 

It was true. You'd woken up mid-morning to the feeling of your waters pooling on your sheets. Tommy spent the night in London, so it was just you and the maids who changed the sheets and said encouraging words to you for a while. Eventually, you woke Ada, who'd been staying down the hall since Polly had cryptically said: "any day now."

Since then, the family was showing up bit by bit. You took slow turns around the first floor while Arthur had taken over your job as a one-person party planning committee. Though, you weren't sure if calling for several cases of champagne was actually considered a party. Then again, you'd done more with less. 

"I'm going to walk around the gardens," you announced after a heftier contraction. 

"Are you sure," Arthur started, but Ada rolled her eyes and cut him off. 

"Let her go, Arthur. We know you're nervous, but let her have some air," Ada chided him. 

"Should she go on her own?" Finn asked, looking you over.

"She can tell you herself," you said. You raised a pointed eyebrow that made Finn turn pink from light scolding. You sighed and placed your hands on your rounded belly. "I'm not alone." 

"Can I come, Aunt y/n?" Karl ran up to you with Katie and Edith on his tail. The girls begged Finn to not make them wait to see you. 

"Yes, yes, let's go." 

The sun reached its peak but still competed with the fluffy clouds to warm the Arrow House gardens. You sat in the grass, not worrying about needing a blanket and tilted your head back. Where was he? 

You tried not to let the only thing that was bringing a bit of worry out of you take over completely. He had to be on his way still. Arthur said he was coming with Polly. You looked down again when you felt small hands on your stomach. 

"Is it a girl?" Edith asked softly, her eyes wide with wonder. 

"That's what Aunt Polly said, so I think she is."

"What's her name?" 

"I don't know yet. What do you think?" 

You thought back to all the times you and Tommy tried to make a list of names. Naming the child after any of your parents was off the table. But no amount of thinking had brought up something you could agree on.

"We'll know when we see 'em," Tommy concluded then sealed it with a kiss to the forehead. 

"I think it should be something pretty,” Edith hummed then looked at you. "Can she have your name, Aunt y/n? Like how Uncle Arthur and grandpa have the same name?"

While it was certainly bold, you laughed and ultimately told her that you wouldn't want that kind of confusion. Edith's brainstorming attracted Katie and Karl. They were out of breath from having back to back foot races. You had a full team on the job. And in the end, you found it. 

"I like that one," you told Edith and kissed her forehead. 

"And Elizabeth for the middle name like Aunt Polly," Karl reminded you. You gave him a kiss on the forehead as well. 

"Of course."

Katie earned her kiss by placing a flower crown on your stomach, the perfect punctuation. 

The peace you felt was somewhat short-lived. Hours of mild discomfort turned into sharp pains that tested your resolve. You moved to your birthing room and allowed the midwife who showed up at just the right time to look you over while you were bent over the bed.

"Just breathe through it, y/n." The midwife's voice was light and comforting. You took deep breaths, but couldn't help that they were coming out shakey. 

"Where is he?" You finally asked. Ada patted your hand in comfort while Esme brought in extra towels. 

"He said he was on his way, dear. I'm sure they're not far off."

Your hands grasped the sheet as one severe pain blended into another. They were faster and longer now. Even you knew that meant you weren't too far off. 

"If you start feeling like you need to push, just let me know, Mrs. Shelby." The midwife rubbed your back. You were soon on the bed on all fours, dampening your nightgown with sweat as you groaned through waves of pain. Not seeing Tommy all day was getting to you. 

Having children wasn't a top priority for you, and in many ways, it scared you. The idea of being locked into a marriage, or even having unconditional love for a being, was terrifying. You weren't planning on it. But Tommy changed things and made you want everything with him. No one had been able to encourage you as he did or give you an amount of strength you didn't know you had. You were almost three years into your marriage, and you finally felt like you had a partner to be by your side. Except now, when he literally was nowhere to be found. 

"Push, y/n, that's it!" 

The midwife praised you, but you knew you were holding back. Tears leaked down your face. Why were scared all of a sudden? Your emotions were all over the place throughout your pregnancy, and it was hitting its peak. 

"Y/n? Don't panic, sweetheart," Esme called to you and moved to sit next to you.

"B-but, Tom," you sobbed and buried your face into a pillow as you pushed again. 

"That's perfect, y/n! You're so strong."

You panted as it settled down and let Ada pat your neck with a cool cloth. You couldn't hear anything over your own groans and sobs as you pushed again, but Esme started moving away from you.

"Y/n, Thomas is here," She told you, and your head lifted to see him. 

"Love, I'm right here," Tommy said, kneeling next to you.  

"Where the hell have you been?" you sobbed. Your eyes were red and clenched close with another contraction. 

"You're dilated, y/n, you'll just need to push when you have the contractions," the midwife reminded you, and informed Tommy. But you shook your head. 

"I can't do it."

Tommy took off his jacket and sat in a chair beside you, grabbing your face in his hands.

"We ran into a little car trouble. I'm so sorry I'm late, love. And you can do this. You're the strongest person I know."  

"I'm not," 

"Stop it, you are. You're just getting mixed up in your head. Breathe with me," He began taking deep breaths, and you reluctantly followed him to a place of calm. "I can be the strong one, yeah?" 

"Yeah," you nodded. Tommy ran a damp cloth over your face as he asked you what you needed. It wasn't traditional for the husband to be in the room. Still, Ada and Esme knew there was only one person who could calm their sister-in-law enough to have a healthy delivery. Sure enough, you clung to your husband and gave it your all under the spell of his encouraging words.

"Almost done. Almost done, love." Tommy rubbed your back. 

"Love, you're right there," Esme told you.  

"This one's really gonna hurt, y/n," Polly told her. "Yell as much as you'd like, but push." Polly had taken to giving the midwife a hand as soon as she came into the room. If you had your way, Polly would have been in charge anyway. God only knew how much knowledge she really had.

"You're doing so well, love," Tommy kissed your cheek. 

"Last one, y/n," the midwife announced.  

"There we are! A girl for you, just as we thought!" 

It was a bit of a blur. You laid on your back, waiting for the placenta to pass after the cord had been cut. Tommy praised you while Polly tended to the baby. It was almost a surprise when Polly unlaced the top of your gown and placed a tiny, crying baby against your chest. 

"Hello," you greeted your daughter through sniffles and watery eyes. "Happy birthday, little one."

You sat comfortably on clean sheets and in a new gown, watching your daughter being fussed over by Tommy while your family gathered around. Arthur was holding back tears as he asked what to call his new niece. Tommy looked at you with a smile. 

"Alma Elizabeth Shelby." 

There was a resounding cheer in the room as Tommy came to sit next to you. 

"I love you doesn't seem enough," he said quietly. He looked at you then down at your baby. "But I am eternally grateful for you bringing a bit of you and a bit of me into this world." You kissed him softly then kissed the top of Alma's head. 

"I more than just love both of you, too. Whatever that may mean." 

--

Tommy Tag List: @soleil-dor;  @amysteryspot​; @captivatedbycillianmurphy

JGB Series Tag List: @biba3434 ; l0tsofpennies; @sighonahurricane

(If I missed you, or you want to be on a taglist, message me)

#Tommy Shelby #Tommy Shelby Imagine #Tommy shelby x reader #Just Good Business #mxpseudonym #ada shelby smut #Esme Shelby #polly gray #polly shelby #Arthur Shelby #Finn Shelby