EYES LIKE RAZORS

(45) Freddie

3rd of March 1922

"Hello?" Chloe says, picking up the phone that had been ringing in the backroom of the Garrison.

"Is Madison Shelby there?" A female voice asks, sniffling.

"Yeah." Chloe replies, "please may you get her, I need to speak to my sister." Ada says.

"Give me a second, she'll be right here." Chloe says, hurrying to the window and opening it, looking at Madison, "your sisters on the phone asking for you, sounds upset."

Madison is off her seat in milliseconds, coming out of the snug, and straight to the backroom where the phone was.

"Ada? What's wrong?" Madi queries, "it's Fred. He was ill, but he promised he'd get better. He told me he'd get better." Ada sobs down the phone, "he's dead, I woke up this morning and he wasn't breathing."

"Fred is dead" Madison repeats slowly, "do you want me to come find you?"

"No, he wanted to be buried beside his mother." Ada replies, "so you're coming back to Birmingham?" Madison asks hopefully.

"For the funeral." Ada answers. "I'll get everything sorted this end, you just make sure you and my nephew get to us safely, yeah?" Madi tells her. "Can it be done sooner rather than later?" Ada asks.

"Yeah, if you want." Madison nods, fully aware Ada couldnt see her. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Ada says.

"See you tomorrow sis," Madi replies as the phone cuts off and she slowly puts the phone down, Adas words dawning on her. Freddie was dead.

"Everything okay?" Chloe asks when she exits the room, and Madison gestures for her to come into the snug.

"What'd Ada want?" Arthur questions.

"She's coming back to Birmingham for a couple of days." Madison states, and the family all straighten up a bit. "Why?" John asks.

"Cause she misses us, obviously." Arthur says, and Madison shakes her head, "Freddie died this morning. He wants to be buried next to Irene."

-

"Ada." Madison greets, hugging her sister and nephew as soon as they get off of the train, "hello baby Karl, you're a lot bigger than last time."

"I've missed you." Ada says, holding her younger sister close, "yeah, knew you would." Madison replies, "I'm joking." Madi says when Ada smacks the back of her head, "of course I've missed you, though not nearly as much as Karl. Come here, bud."

Karl grins, and outstretches his arms so Madi can pick him up, resting him against her hip as they began the walk back to their house.

"Chloes nervous to meet you." Madison states, "we've already met briefly, in the pub after you got shot." Ada replies. "I know but she says it doesn't count because we weren't official back then, so this is your first time meeting her as my girlfriend." Madison explains.

"It'll all go fine, she's lovely. Very pretty." Ada assures.

"Gimme that." Madi says, taking her sisters bag, noticing she was struggling.

"Thank you."

"She's also nervous to meet Karl, she's never been around the whole family before. I try telling her it's gonna be fine and she's known them all for almost three years, but she says it's a family event and she's not family." Madison says, as they approach the door to the house.

"Arthur William Shelby, and John Michael Shelby, what do you two think you're doing?" Chloes voice exclaims, as the two sisters enter the home.

"He started it." Both men say, and the sisters almost laugh at the way they're stood their pointing at eachother.