hope || michael gray

- FIFTHTEEN -

—

the phone rang from beside matilda, and she instantly grabbed it, still waiting for any sign from michael that he was alright.

"hello?" she said quickly into the phone.

"tilly, it's me." michael replied with a solemn tone.

"oh my god. are you ok?" the woman asked desperately.

"i'm fine, bit cut up but just need some rest." michael replied with a small chuckle. the exhaustion was evident in his voice, but the pair couldn't bring themselves away from the two ends of the phone line. matilda eventually convinced michael to go and rest, but only with the promise that she'd go and visit him.

as she put the phone down, matilda let out a sigh. one of them was safe, just one more to get out the cells.

—

matilda walked into tommy's office later that day, to find him packing things into a bag.

"where are you going?" she questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"london. to see grace."

both of matilda's eyebrows then raised in shock. he looked up, studying the woman's facial expression from where she stood the other side of his desk.

"thought you'd look at me like that. 'ave you heard from michael yet?"

"he rang me from pol's house - he's fine, just a bit knackered. you know what polly did then?" matilda asked.

"yes i do. i don't want you to know though." he replied.

"i think i already do." matilda said quietly.
"when you leaving?"

"soon. gonna stop at charlie's for petrol. then i'll be on my way." tommy replied.

"alright. don't do anything stupid tom." she said with a small smile.

"when has that ever happened tills?" tommy replied, pausing to looking up at the woman with a smirk on his face.

he left soon after, walking through the empty betting den calling his goodbyes to matilda as she got the board ready for the day ahead.

john appeared later on, walking up to the board where matilda stood.

"thought you'd be with lover-boy." he said as a greeting, smirking as matilda turned to glare at him.

"lover-boy's at pols. he's all cut up." she replied.

"ah, that's shit. d'you wanna come see arthur with me?" john asked.

"what? yes course i do, when you going?"

"now, common then." john said, grabbing matilda's arm and leading her towards the door. the woman took her coat off the hanger as she passed through the door.

—

matilda stood by john's side as he was patted down.