"Mary!"
Tom's voice echoed through the bedroom as he watched the young woman shift and turn on their bed. She was nursing a fever from the bullet wound she sustained earlier that night. Nothing went as it should have, and Tom was wracked with guilt upon watching his woman wounded and suffering because of him. He swiftly grabbed her wrist and gently stroked Mary's swollen and calloused hand. The night was supposed to be a good night... How did it take such a dramatic turn? She mumbled in her sleep, called for Tom's name, and all he could do was hold her hand and tell her that he was there. He would always be there, despite failing to do so that night.
Arthur invited Mary over to the Garrisson Pub. He knew she needed some distraction and a little bit of fun. Since becoming the chief nurse and Headmistress in training of the Grace Shelby Institute, she spent most of her time advocating and caring for the children in her care. Obviously, with the rise of the fascist party of Great Britain, there had been more attacks against the Institute and more attacks targeting her. It got the attention of Alfie Solomons, who tried to strike a deal with Mary, one she could have taken had she not been under the Peaky Blinders' protection. In exchange for his protection, Alfie wanted Mary to hide his merchandise within the walls of the Institute. She refused, and Tom doubled her protection, but that made it more difficult for her to have a good time.
Naturally, Arthur thought of something that could help Mary find her good spirits again. Nothing rivaled a good night at the pub, where Mary could sing and dance and listen to loud music without a worry in the world. He owed it to her, after all; she always managed to help him get back on his feet every single time he fucked shit up. As the elder Shelby had planned, the night began well. Mary was on stage, singing and dancing, and forgetting for a moment all the troubles she had faced since joining the family. It felt good! And for Mary, she finally had a little bit of fun during that night out. Things took a dramatic turn, however, when a sudden attack happened. Mary couldn't remember everything clearly. The sound of broken glass, the screams, Arthur throwing himself at her to shield Mary from the bullets raining on them. She remembered being splashed with his warm blood. His body shaking, his blood... oh, his blood that was pouring out of his wounds and that soiled her face, her arms, and clothes.
She remembered the survivors ran to the next doctor's office to try and get Arthur some help. Mary remembered ordering the survivors around to check themselves for wounds and for those who were the least injured to help her save Arthur's life. A surgery... She worked on the floor, using hot water in a basin, a clean cloth, domestic needles and threads in the lack of anything better, and alcohol to help sterilize wounds and the tools she used on Arthur. She worked for hours, tirelessly, cut her fingers multiple times with the knife, stabbed them with the needle, but it didn't matter. She had to save Arthur. The doctor came in late, but he helped Mary stabilize Arthur's body and wait for the ambulance to come and get the Peaky Blinder to the hospital. Only when Arthur was taken to the hospital did she realize that Tom had come to the Garrisson Pub, helped in any way he could while assessing the damages, talked to the survivors to see if they could identify those who had attacked the Pub, and kept his mind occupied.
Only then did she faint, sustaining a bullet wound with the bullet still inside her. Only then did her body react now that the adrenaline was gone. Mary fainted, and then Tom began to worry about another kind of concern. He watched her risk her life to successfully save his brother. He watched her ignore her pain for other lives, but for a brief moment, he was scared of losing her. He couldn't suffer a second loss like that. It reopened old wounds, a trauma that never really healed. How could it heal when he lost Grace, his whole world crumbled? How could it heal when he still had hallucinations of his late wife? Looking down at him whenever he was feeling desperate, just like that night. She was there, in the corner of the room. Grace stared at him with a gaze full of judgment for putting Mary through so much pain and violence. He led a life that ended in Death. How could he expect a second chance at life? What a fool! Tom blinked, and Grace was now at the deathbed of Mary.
He panicked, ran his thick and calloused hand over his face just to make sure that it wasn't real. His mind interpreted the presence of his late wife as a sign that Mary was dying. He held both hands tighter and mumbled under his breath. He was speaking nonsense, calling for Polly to confirm his wild, erratic thoughts. He was talking about spirits and ancestors, about the veil between the world of the dead and the living, about having to pay for the blood he spilled, and about sparing Mary's life because she was innocent. She suffered enough from the hands of others, and he didn't want her to suffer more. Perhaps she wouldn't have been shot and possibly lost her life if she had not met him. Guilt was wrecking his heart, and before he knew it, Tom's eyes were wet from unshed tears. His fingers were shaking, as if he was afraid that if he wasn't careful, she would die in his hands. Grace's "ghost" shook her head and softly pressed a kiss to Mary's forehead.
"Tom...." -Mary's faint voice snapped him out of his mind, Grace's ghost vanished, and Tom focused his attention back on her-
"Mary! You're awake!" -He grabbed the clean cloth, dabbed it on her forehead- "I'm here."
"Tom!... Tom... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." -She was too weak and still feverish, but alive. She tried to sit on the bed, but she couldn't sit down properly. He helped her with his powerful arms and took her hands back into his larger ones.- "How is Arthur?"
"You don't have to apologize, Mary. Arthur is fine. You saved his life."
"I made you worry, Tom." -Mary replied in a grunt- "I never like it when you are worried because of me."
"You're awake. Everything else doesn't matter." -He dabbed her forehead again and pressed his lips to the back of her hand for a brief moment- "I'm here, now, and nothing will happen to you ever again."
She nodded, unable to conjure up the words she wanted to say. She didn't know how to tell him that she was scared that night, far more than she thought she would be. She was worried about their enemies coming back for more, worried about him or any other member of the family dying in her arms. She was worried about so many things, but couldn't find the strength to talk to him. Instead, Mary set her green eyes upon Tommy and gave him a soft smile. She would be fine. She would be fine. She would be fine!
-TBC-
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