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November 23rd 1922.
It was a cold Thursday in Small Heath. The Shelby family had been extremely on edge, as the family had all received black hands in the post from Luca Changretta a week prior.
With Matilda now being heavily pregnant, Ada finding out she was pregnant again only 4 months ago and two young children, everyone felt like they were dancing with the devil.
Arthur and Linda had moved into the country, with their son Billy. John and Esme had moved with their 4 kids, Sarah, Harry, Bobby and Margret, while the rest of the family stayed together in Small Heath.
Ada wanted to move back to London, but with her now being pregnant and the danger that surrounded the entire family, Tommy insisted she stay close.
Matilda and Ada were sat in Polly's sitting room, reading the newspaper and listening to the radio while Evie sat and played with some building blocks on the floor.
Matilda stood to her feet as she heard a knock on the door, making Polly scold her. "No, love, sit down."
"I am okay, Pol, I know to stay sat when I feel I need to." Matilda laughed as Polly rolled her eyes, leaving the room to answer the door.
"When do you reckon he's coming?" Ada asked, looking down to Matilda's stomach, making her shrug. "I'm not sure, I would make it be today if I could, he's too bloody snug in there."
Polly had told Matilda she was expecting a boy, which according to everyone in the family, Polly's guesses had never been wrong, so she was confident in the fact Evie was going to have a baby brother.
Both women looked up as Polly ran into the room, tears streaming down her cheeks. "We need to go. They got John and Michael."
"What!?" Matilda felt sick at Pol's words, she didn't know what she meant, or at least she hoped she didn't. "They've been shot, we need to go to the hospital now."
Everyone scrambled to grab coats and shoes, Matilda picked Evie off the floor and all 3 women ran out of the door, heading straight for their car.
"What do you know? Are they okay? Are they dead?" Ada asked, slamming the car door as she sat down. "I don't fucking know. I was told they got shot outside of our John's house, and John took most of the bullets."
"Fuck." Matilda mumbled, tears now streaming down her own cheeks as she kissed her daughter's head and closed her teary eyes, praying to whatever god there may be, that her boys would make it.
••••••
"Fucking hell John boy." Matilda sniffled as she stared down at her bestfriends body. Doctors had told the woman Michael would make it, the bullets didn't hit any vital organs. John on the other hand, wasn't doing so well. "You cant leave me like this, John, you've got so much life in you."
The room she was stood in was silent and cold. The eerie feeling made the world feel like it was spinning in slow motion. Matilda didn't care about anything in that moment, she just needed him to be okay, but she felt like hope had been lost back in Pol's sitting room.
"Mrs Shelby?" Matilda didn't turn to the voice, she kept her eyes on him. "Mr Shelby is here, shall I allow him to come in?"
Matilda shrugged as she wiped a salty tear off of her lips with her tounge. "If he must." The nurse left the room silently allowing her back to her silence as she stared down at John, his blood stained shirt painting images in her mind.
She knew his presence when she felt it. She didn't have to hear a door open or shut, she just knew. "I fucking hate this, Tommy, I hate every fucking minute of it."
Tommy sighed, walking over and gently rubbing Matildas shoulder before grabbing it and pulling her into his chest, allowing her to release strangled sobs, dampening Tommy's shirt.
"Come on, darling. Esme wants to see him now." Matilda hummed at his words, releasing from his grasp and walking closer to John's bed, leaning down and pressing a tear-dampened kiss to his forehead before turning and leaving the room without another word.
••••••
"I'm fine Tilly, I promise." Michael groaned as he mumbled the words. Matilda has gone straight from John's room to Michaels as she left Esme to speak to her husband. "You don't fucking look it, scared the shit out of us all." Matilda glanced up to Polly who was sat smoking a cigarette and staring blankly at her son.
Michael was rushed straight into surgery, removing one of the bullets that has had go lodged in his thigh. He was lucky, John has stood in front of him and taken the fire.
"Where's Tommy?" Ada asked as she took a seat at the foot of Michaels bed. "Gone to speak with Arthur. He's a bloody wreck." Matilda mumbled as her eyes examined Michael's body.
Silence consumed the air once again allowing Matilda back to her own thoughts. She couldn't lose John, he had become her bestfriend throughout the years and the thought of having to stand at his funeral made her stomach churn. "I swear to god I am going to fucking murder someone as soon as this baby gets out." Matilda sniffled, her vision becoming blurred by tears.
"Don't stress yourself out, Tilly, it's not good for the baby." Polly looked at her. "I cant lose him, I'm sick and fucking tired of everyday being a question with no fucking answer. Feeling like i'm walking on eggshells every second, feeling like I could have my kids snatched from me at any moment."
Matilda began pacing as her breathing got heavier and heavier, making Ada and Polly stand to calm the woman. "Matilda, calm down before you- oh fucking hell." Polly was cut short by the sound of liquid hitting the cold floor.
