Charlie fell asleep on Mary. The little boy had spent the day as usual and had been so good that Mary took him on a ride with his favorite horse. They talked about his dad, about how he wished he could see him more often but he understood how busy he was. The little boy was mature beyond the years, and Mary was wondering if it had something to do with the death of his mother and the solitude of his father. Charlie had to grow faster than he should have and took it upon himself to comfort his father. Mary didn't know but it didn't matter, she was still caring for the boy. He had his arms wrapped around her frame and his head was against her chest. Mary was still stroking his hair, gently singing to him while she planted soft kisses on his forehead.
Mary couldn't help but let her mind wander a little bit. Tommy had been busier than ever, so much so that he didn't come home for a week already. She knew he was staying at his office, thinking about his next important speech but he made sure to call home at night just so he could hear the voice of his son and of his girl. She took care of Arthur a couple days ago. Linda called her after one of Arthur's overdoses, she needed someone to quickly intervene and while she despised the nurse, she was family. She remembered the exhausted voice from Tommy over the phone upon learning his brother had relapsed. She remembered the weary sigh from Ada whom she called right after she dealt with Arthur. It was a recurring problem, something that had to be dealt with but was beyond Mary's expertise. Arthur needed help and it was so heartbreaking to see him destroy himself. Still, Tommy wasn't home, so she couldn't exactly voice her concerns for his older brother.
During a date with Ada, she had been bothered by a young man who first tried to hit on her and then became more violent as frustration became harder to deal with. Mary managed to fend for herself, but it truly was Ada who put the man in his place, helped with the peaky blinders who ensured her protection. Mary realized that she was very oblivious when it came to people's interest in her. She paid so little attention to her sex appeal and her attractiveness, that she couldn't exactly notice when people wanted her, except for Tommy. Him... She could understand him. He was notified of the event and Mary was given two peaky boys to ensure her safety. Typical of him. That was not a discussion and she didn't contest it. Still... Tommy was away.
Charlie kept talking about his mom and asked Mary about Grace. He smiled upon knowing they were friends and got along well. He smiled when Mary told her stories from the past and how his parents' wedding unfolded. They laughed and Charlie called her mom again. It wasn't the first time that he did so, and while at first Mary corrected the child, she ended up not correcting him because she realized that he did it on purpose. Curious, the nurse asked him why he kept calling him "mum" when he knew she wasn't his mother. He told her that he knew she wasn't the woman who gave him birth.
She wasn't his mother because his mother was dead. She was his mum because she was raising him and she loved his dad. She was his mum because she loved him and he wanted her to stay in his life. He adopted her and he knew that she had a child before, a brother he would never meet. So he asked if she wanted to become his mum and she agreed to it. She became his mum and he became her son. So she kept stroking the head of the child until she felt it was time to go to bed and took him to his room.
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