Old Smoke

OLD SMOKE Rhett Kelly||Owner of The Stroll I may not be the man you wish me to be, but I am the man of my choosing. If you don't like it, Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

[gerrythebutler]

[richardcurr]

Summer Breeze | Dickey and Rhett

Days blurred quickly these days. One minute it’s October, and once you’d get a chance to blink, it was now May. Not that Dickey was complaining about it. He’d rather bask in the warmth of rising temperatures than to freeze his ass off in the dead of night. Though, warm weather brought out more crime related activities within the town. For once, maybe it was a good thing that he was fully retired now by his own means.

Sipping on a club soda, he’d just finished a round of a doubles match with a few Country Club members, rewarding himself from a long - and quite tiring - round of tennis. Age had crept up to him, but it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be once he’d gotten the chance to stop moving around. With a towel to his forehead, Dickey sat underneath the awning of the lounge area, enjoying the cool breeze that came with the mild temperature. 

[rhett-kelly]

Golf wasn’t a particularly strenuous game, but after 18 holes Rhett was feeling the effects of the new summer sun. He was sweaty, tired from swinging his clubs and walking miles around the course. It was time for some sort of refreshment, and although he appreciated the game, Rhett was beginning to wonder if it was truly worth the hassle during these warmer months.

Montford has changed in so many ways, much like Rhett had once the baby was born and he gave Daisy the keys to The Stroll. Retirement suited him rather nicely, and although he was haggled for spending his time at home with his child, there was truly no place he would rather be. 

His tonic was bitter, but refreshing, ans as he moved to the lounge, Rhett knew that relaxing was just the ticket he needed after a day like today.

“Is this seat taken?” He questioned, asking the back of a fellow country clubber if he minded company. It seemed he rather enjoyed getting to know the locals more and more when he came here. So many new faces and old ones. Folks that had been out of sorts for some time, yet decided that the late spring was a time to make their presence known.

[rhett-kelly]

The Eye of the Storm || Frett

[frankie-capone]

"I’d have it no other way." Frankie’s fingers lightly ran down Rhett’s arm as she smiled. If she could have her way, the two of them would head out of Montford for a few days so they could finally have some alone time. Something they hadn’t been able to have since leaving Ireland. But she couldn’t leave Patrick behind and having a nanny tag along would defeat the purpose.

"What will we do with ourselves for an entire week?" She chuckled and rolled onto her back, scooting a little closer to her husband. 

[rhett-kelly]

Rhett turned, kissing Frankie on the temple. The more he thought about the week to come, the more he found himself elated to be with her. Too many times had they just passed by one another these days. Too many times had he not been able to tell her goodnight. Pulling her in,  he wrapped his arms around the woman, breathing in her scent as his eyes began to droop closed from lack of sleep.

“Oh trust me… I’m sure you and I could come up with a few ideas…”

[rhett-kelly]

The Eye of the Storm || Frett

[frankie-capone]

"I was planning to speak with you about that idea today. However it was so that I would be able to go back to working out of the drugstore during the day. They can keep Patrick in the apartment while I work." 

She had a feeling that Rhett wasn’t going to like the idea of her returning to work so soon, but it was something that had always help keep her focused. 

"Now before you start to argue I will offer a compromise. I’ll take a few days for myself and then I’ll go back to work. How does that sound?" 

[rhett-kelly]

Rhett wasn’t fond of the idea at all, but Frankie was stubborn, and he knew there wasn’t much he could say to stop her from returning to work. She was a businesswoman through and through, no matter if she had a child or not. Patrick wasn’t something that was planned, but rather a surprise to them both and Frankie had never his the fact that she was slightly displeased by her hindrance; however, after their son was born, it seemed you couldn’t keep the two apart.

There was no denying her love for their child, but Rhett understood where she was coming from. She needed sustenance to keep her sane; she needed her hands dirty, so to speak, in her business.

“Fair enough, but I need a week of you to myself. Is that a decent enough compromise?”

[rhett-kelly]

The Eye of the Storm || Frett

[frankie-capone]

The house was quiet and Frankie knew she should be taking full advantage of it, but her want to spend those few precious minutes, or maybe even hours, with her husband outweighed her need for sleep. She knew she would be able to find someone quickly to help with the baby and she could get the rest she needed tomorrow.

When Rhett returned to bed, she rolled back onto her side, facing him. She chuckled and ran her fingers over his arm. 

"You’re worried that he isn’t alright, because he’s so quiet. Whether you realize it or not. I probably would have been up too if I wasn’t so exhausted earlier."

[rhett-kelly]

Rhett smiled, turning back to look at his wife, whom he felt like had been nonexistent over the course of the last few months.

“I know, but I worry for you too. Sure, you’re young and sprightly, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of over working yourself. Have you thought about taking a day or two off? Maybe we could hire a Nanny or something and have a few days to ourselves?”

He was truly concerned for the woman he loved. Although Patrick was healthy as a horse, Rhett wondered if Frankie was getting the rest she truly needed. Far too many times had she had to put out fires for the mafia as well as cover the books for all of their establishments, not to mention, she’d hardly had a chance to mourn her father.

[rhett-kelly]

The Eye of the Storm || Frett

[frankie-capone]

Frankie nodded and and gave him a kiss before he could slip out of the bed. She fell back onto the pillow and closed her eyes but she knew she wasn’t going to fall back asleep before the boy woke up.

Over the last week or so she had been debating hiring someone to help with the house and Patrick just so she could get back to Wilson’s and Rita’s. With the apartment above the drugstore she could keep the boy at her office so she could work and still have the privacy that she needed. 

She meant to bring it up with Rhett tonight but with Patrick going down so easy let her fall sleep as soon as dinner was over. 

[rhett-kelly]

He was safe and sound, sleeping the night away as if it wasn't his first time doing so. Rhett found it so strange that any other night, he could sleep through Patrick's crying as if it where the anchor that held him in his sleep, telling him that his child was alive and well, even though Rhett may not have been conscious. 

The silence was going to take some getting use to.

Placing a kiss on Patrick's cheek, Rhett made his way back toward the bedroom, slipping back under the covers with his wife, who undoubtedly was still awake. 

"It would figure, the one night he sleeps soundly is the one night I can't catch a wink."

[rhett-kelly]

The Eye of the Storm || Frett

[frankie-capone]

As much as she wanted to sleep, after Rhett’s tossing and turning Frankie was now wide awake as well. She normally wouldn’t mind him leaving her to sleep but they had so little alone time now with the baby. Even with Frankie taking a break from the family business, Patrick demanded almost all of her attention.

She rolled over and grabbed him before he could make it out of the bed. “Stay, there’s not point now. I’m wide awake.” Sacrificing some rest for a little alone time with her husband was acceptable nowadays.

[rhett-kelly]

"Darling you need your rest more than I do. Please, sleep." He knew the words coming out of his mouth were pointless. Frankie was far too brash and stubborn to listen to him, especially at this time of night. For the last three consecutive months, Rhett had become accustomed to hearing his baby boy in the middle of the night. The fact that he hadn't heard him this evening seemed to be throwing him off, and he wasn't sure what to do. 

This on top of the fact that his business wasn't faring so well since the most recent crackdown, he was more on edge than usual. It all felt like a dream, as if Patrick and Frankie wouldn't be around when he woke up, and even if they were, would he still be able to provide for them? His karma wasn't the greatest, but Rhett knew he had to give it every shot he could. 

"I'm just going to check on the boy, make sure he's alright. I'll be back in a moment if that's what you'd like."

[willdunlevy-deactivated20141120]

[rhett-kelly]

The Eye of the Storm || Frett

[frankie-capone]

Frankie had run on little to no sleep for as long as she could remember. A few hours here or there when she could catch them was all that she had needed in the past. Now, she didn’t know if she would ever get enough. After Patrick had been born everything had changed and any little noise woke her.

While she was pregnant, she feared she would have no connection to the child but the moment she saw her boy it was as if her heart melted. She would keep him safe no matter the cost.

"Then stop stirring." Frankie mumbled when Rhett disturbed her sleep, her hand sliding over his as she intertwined their fingers.

[rhett-kelly]

He lie still for a moment, closing his eyes in order to try and find sleep. It seemed like eons as he count sheep, doing his best not to disturb his wife by tossing and turning. 

It wasn't working. 

"Mo Chisle, I'm sorry, but I'm restless. I'll be in the living room if you need me."

He hated leaving her. Far too many times Frankie had fallen asleep in Patrick's room and left Rhett to wake alone in the mornings. The intimacy he felt just lying next to her make him crave her all the more, but he knew that sleep was a luxury these days for the raven haired woman, and he didn't want to deny her. 

[ohyeahgerardbutler]

[rhett-kelly]

The Eye of the Storm || Frett

Peace and quiet. It was the first time in months that Rhett had heard it, and in the middle of the night no less. Since early March it had been hard to get rest in the Kelly household. Patrick Kelly was a brazen young boy with lungs of steel and shit for days, just like his father.

But tonight, all was sound, and the tiny boy Rhett had come to know as his only son was fast asleep. 

Then why the hell was Rhett awake?

Taking in a deep breath, he turned on his side, pulling Frankie closer to him as he attempted to shut his eyes once more. She always smelled of lavender. It made his eyes heavy with longing and sleepiness to have her so close.

"I love you..." He mumbled into her ink black hair, his chin resting in the crook of her neck as he attempted to fall back to sleep. 

[planetmarsblog]

[moa-hult-deactivated20140330]

I'm sorry? || Moa and Rhett

"Didn’t quite catch that. Say again?"

[rhett-kelly]

You're far too young to be out on these streets this late at night. And where's your coat?

[rhett-kelly]

Delivery Date || Rhett, Gene, Frankie

[gene-torrio]

Gene grit his teeth, knowing that with the weather outside help was probably not going to come. Instead, he chose to appease the birthing mother and her ninny husband and went into the kitchen to try and find someone that could come. Brie didn’t answer, the lines were busy at the hospital and he left a message with the operator that once they were free to tell them that there was a woman giving birth in the Kelly residence and assistance would be appreciated as soon as possible. On a whim he tried calling Zelda, though she was either out or knew better than to answer. He was going to have words with her when this was through. 

A seamless string of Italian profanity flowed from his mouth as he got all the things he knew they would need, He was nothing if not efficient and the very day that Francis had told him that she was expecting he had had a long discussion with the doctor at the hospital. Home births weren’t all that rare, back home or here, but there were notably less complications if done in a hospital.

As it would seem, they didn’t have that option.

Coming back into the living room, Gene lifted Francesca’s legs, shaking his head at the two of them.

"No one," He said. "Rhett, I put a pot of water on to heat, but it should not boil or be hot enough to scald, we’ll need it. "Francesca," He said to her calmly in Italian. "I need you to talk to your husband so that we can deliver this baby without starting a new war. I can help you, but only if he’s not trying to strangle me.”

[frankie-capone]

"Not reassuring." Frankie mumbled through clenched teeth after Rhett talked about his mother. That had been so long ago she couldn’t imagine it would be of any help to them right now. "I trust the both of you with my life." After a shaky breath she continued. "But the two of you delivering this baby is terrifying."

Tears tried to form, the unusual sharp pain was relentless and she knew it wasn’t normal; but she would be damned if she let it get the best of her. Bullet holes, knife wounds, scars riddling her body from the last seven years, but nothing compared to this. 

After Gene returned she rolled her eyes. This was not what she needed. Pointing between the two of them, she tried to sit up while supporting herself with her other arm. “Listen, the both of you. There will be no fighting, you will help each other and Rhett you will not get territorial. If you do, I will never forgive either of you. Capisce?”

[rhett-kelly]

Rhett nodded, no longer concerned with Gene or the fact that he was most likely to see things Rhett would prefer were for his eyes only. A jealous man, Rhett was, but that meant nothing when it came to the life of his child and his wife. 

"Contractions? Are you having any?" The man asked, holding onto Frankie's hand while fluffing a pillow underneath her head. He was sure that she was having pains. He could see it her face every once in a while. To be honest, the little that he remembered from his mother, did him hardly any good now, but he was determined to have the delivery go well.

"I'll need to get towels, lots of them..." Rhett muttered, attempting to think of all the items they would need for this birth. The thought of doing this without help from a professional was terrifying, but he knew nothing was more frightening than this moment was for Frankie.

[omg-tanyablog]

[rhett-kelly]

Delivery Date || Rhett, Gene, Frankie

[gene-torrio]

Gene yanked his coat on and nearly slipped on the stone steps as he left the house.

“Cazzo.” He breathed, looking at the state of the world. It was like everything had been covered in white over the last few hours that he’d been there, the snow coming up to his ankle. “Cazzo. Cazzo! Cazzo!!” He grumbled in his panic. Ignoring the snow that would be impossible to drive in, he wrenched the door of his car open and shoved the key into the ignition.

The engine wouldn’t even turn over.

“Gesù Cristo. Devi essere scherzando.. Figlio di una cagna!” He snarled, slapping the dashboard and quickly hurrying out of the car again. He ran back inside, throwing off his coat and shaking his head at Rhett. “It’s too cold. It won’t start.” He panted, looking at the state of Francesca again. Shaking his head, he pointed to the couch. “Sit her down. We’ll need hot water, not boiling, and rags and- and scissors.” He said, beginning to roll up the sleeves of his shirt. “Francis.” He said, his tone momentarily calm. “Frankie, we’re having this baby here.” He told her, helping Rhett settle her onto the couch.

[frankie-capone]

“Stop acting like I’m some porcelain doll. I’m not some fragile thing just because my water broke.” She shrugged out of her coat and once they had her on the couch she waved them off of her. The number of times she had come close to death in the last five or six years should be a testament to her strength but the way Rhett and Gene were acting, you would think she was a sickly child.

The pain had subsided for the moment and the less coddling they did the better. Frankie was worried though, she didn’t want to deliver the baby here, let alone with only Rhett and Gene.

“Call someone, anyone. See if anyone from the clinic can make it here. Hell, find Brie. I don’t care; just get me someone that knows what they are doing.”

Leaning back on the couch, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. There was a sharp pain in her side, not like the labor pains the doctor had tried to describe to her. If anything went wrong there wouldn’t be anyone here to assist them.

[rhett-kelly]

Rhett huffed as he took the coat from Frankie, nodding toward Gene to get in touch with someone that would be able to help them. Try as he might panic tugged on the edges of his brain, making it difficult for the man to remember what it was that his mother use to tell him when he was a child.

“Listen, I know that you feel like we’re being mother hens at the moment, but all Gene and I want to do is make sure that everything happens smoothly. Not sure if I told you this, but- uh I may remember a few things that my mother forced me to learn. She was a midwife.” Before Frankie could get a word in edgewise, Rhett held up a hand, so that he could finish his statement. “I’m not saying that I can deliver a damn baby, but I do pride myself on knowing a thing or two. We will try to get Portia here. If not her, then maybe Adelaide and if all else fails, we will attempt Brie, but we need to face the facts here. This baby is coming even if those women don’t. So you have to trust me. can you do that?”

“How’s it going in there, Gene!?”

[rhett-kelly]

Best Jazz Bar None || Jett

[fearless-jessie-franco]

I don’t dance cause I’m well aware of my inability to do anything more than a two-step. Back in your day, they were still busy tryin’ to figure out how to round rock into a wheel shape, so there’s no accountin’ for taste. And I’m sure half of them lost because they were too busy trying not to die laughin’. 

Are we talking about the same Daisy? Because I’m pretty sure she’s thought about poisoning you just so she can finally take over. I wouldn’t be surprised if your last words to her weren’t ‘Et tu, Brute?’

[rhett-kelly]

She’s had her hardships and knows her place. I can assure you of that. Things around here have changed a bit since...well... all hell broke loose. Everyone is minding their P’s and Q’s. Even Daisy.

Wait a minute....

Did you just compare me to a caveman, Franco?