Coraline Murphy

48.

Alfie Solomons swept into the hospital like he owned the place, leaving a trial of nervous and frightened staff in his wake. 

"Coraline Murphy," he smacked his hands down against the front desk making the poor receptionist jump out of her skin. "Where is she?"

"Oh, er..." she surveyed the paperwork in front of her. "Miss Murphy is in room 78, sir...."

He was already on his way.

"Sir, I'm sorry sorry, but she's not allowed visitors..." The receptionist called after him in vain.

"Thank you, ma'am." The called behind him. Let it never be said that he was brought up without being taught his manners. 

Finally reaching room 78, Alfie paused for a moment, readying himself for what he was about to witness. Whilst he was of the opinion that nothing could frighten him more than that time he'd located Coraline in the hospital in London, he was still nervous. Tommy had sounded scared on the phone, and he'd never heard that before.

He didn't knock. Instead, he took his hat off his head, and gently pushed the door open. 

Immediately, the figure that had his back to him jumped to his feet, hand hovering over the gun that was inevitably concealed on his person.

"Alfie." Tommy's voice was croaky.

"Alrigh', Treacle?" Alfie smirked at him as he put his gun away. "Let me see 'er then."

Tommy moved to the side, and Alfie swallowed thickly in an effort to keep his face impassive. 

It was as bad as when he'd seen her in hospital in London, worse, perhaps. Her ashen face showed her palor, the only skin other than her fingers visible under the pile of blankets covering her body, whilst her arms were in casts.

Alfie let out a low whistle. "Fuck me," he said under his breath. "What the fuck happened to you, angel?"

Tommy cleared his throat, and Alfie noticed his voice sounded gruff. "I've got my best men looking into it," he said.

"Should hope so," Alfie retorted. "Where'd you find 'er then?"

"My youngest brother found her. She'd been wrapped up in something and then dropped into the cut."

"Someone tried to fucking drown her?" Alfie couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Appears so. Doctors said it looks like she's been tortured."

Looking down at his still friend, Alfie could believe it, her beautiful face battered and bruised, the casts over her broken wrists.

"What are we talking?" He almost didn't want to know.

"Burns, cuts, bruises, broken bones, starvation and a stab wound. Some older than others, though the stab wound seems to have been inflicted just before she was dropped in the cut."

Alfie nodded. "You seen her father recently?"

Tommy narrowed his eyes at him. "Yes, not so long ago. Swore he hadn't seen Rory."

"You believe him?"

"You think he did this?"

"He has a history..."

"I'm well aware." Tommy snapped. "There were no signs of Rory when I went there a few days ago. I'd planned to go back when he wasn't there to look for her, but he was always there."

Alfie chose not to press the subject. "When will she wake up?"

"When she wants to, doctor said." Tommy shrugged, walking towards the door. "Look, er, I have to go. My... wife... is waiting for me and I haven't told her about this. She's just had my son."

"You go home to your boy, Tommy, eh?" Alfie sneered at him. "I'll stay with my angel." He turned his back on him, leaving Tommy to awkwardly leave the room.

Arthur and John were none too pleased to find Alfie in the hospital room later that evening.

Like eager puppies, Alfie thought wryly as the bounded up to him, demanding to know what he was doing there. He realised, with amusement, that Tommy had never told them about his and Coralines connection, and he readily filled them in.

It was through this that he realised their utter devotion to Coraline, and also her older brother, Jamie.

"He really tried to write?" Arthur looked almost emotional.

"Yeah, mate. He almost got it to me to post for him, but then his father beat the shit out of him, and threatened Rory if he or her tried to contact any of you lot."

"We wondered what had happened to them," John reminisced. "They were here one day, and gone the next. Why didn't they run away?"

"Reckon that Jamie knew his father would come looking for them - Rich had built up quite the little empire down in London; they wouldn't have been hard to find. Jamie and Coraline agreed that keeping in their fathers good books until they were in a stronger position do leave was the best bet."

"Why didn't you help them?" Arthur's question was blunt, and struck right to the core of one of Alfies greatest insecurities.

"I wasn't..." he blushed, ashamed. "I wasn't powerful enough. I was only a few years older than Jamie - nothing I could have done would have kept them safe. When they could, they'd stay at my townhouse, on the pretense of doing business, but at that time, I didn't have the connections, the money or the influence to keep them safe. I was so close... and then the war came."

He looked at John and Arthur listening enraptured. "Jamie almost didn't sign up - he was terrified of leaving Coraline with their father. He was too old to enlist, or made some up some bullshit lie about an injury. But then Coraline comes up one day with short hair and wearing a pair of trousers and tells us that she's fucking volunteered. Well that was a kick up the arse for us two - there was no fucking way she was off without us!"

Alfie continued, telling the brothers how Rory and Jamie had been in the same regiment, but that he was elsewhere, how he later reunited with Rory by chance in a POW camp in Germany, how they were rescued, and finally, how he'd find her in the London hospital all that time ago, in a state not much better than she was in now.

"My poor angel," Alfie muttered, gently ruffling Coralines curls. "How can a life be so cruel."

He stood to take his leave. "You're staying with her." It wasn't a question as such, but the Shelby brothers nodded anyway. "Right. I'm heading back to London. You'll call me if there are any changes?"

This time, it was a question, it's slightly pleading tone obvious.

"Of course," Arthur said gruffly. "Safe trip home, eh?"