VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

TWENTY TWO

"Flo, I don't think..." Imelda muttered, "There's anything they can do, my sweet girl."

"Don't say that," Florence exclaimed, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

"Enough!" Tommy shouted at the men that surrounded and stood opposite him, "Kimber and I fought this battle one on one, it's over, go home to your families."

Wordlessly, Kimber's men followed Tommy's orders, scooping up their boss' body and dragging him away from the scene of such tragedy.

"Ma," Florence whispered as she hovered over her mother, who lay on the dirty ground, blood pouring from a wound to her abdomen, "You're going to be alright, we're going to make this okay."

"Florence," Imelda whispered, clinging to her daughter's wrist, both of their hands covered in blood as Florence attempted to prevent any further blood from escaping from the wound, "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"You can tell me when you're better, alright?" Florence replied, attempting to stifle her tears, "The boys can get help."

"Flo, there's something you need to know," Imelda wheezed, just loud enough that only Florence could hear her words as blood continued to rush from her wound, knowing she didn't have long left, "You have a brother, in London."

"What?" Florence whispered in disbelief, "We can find him together, you'll get better and we'll find him."

"Florence," Imelda winced, her skin going pale, "You make sure Daisy knows just how much her Grandma loves her."

"You'll tell her yourself," Florence replied, looking up in search of Tommy for reassurance, "Tell her," She pleaded with him, "Please!"

She looked back down at her mother, the woman's eyes were still and her lips were parted, but no breath escaped them. Florence knew what that meant, her mother was dead. She had lost the one person who kept her a Dawson.

"Florence," Tommy crouched beside her, ignoring agonising pain caused by the bullet wound to his shoulder, "She's gone."

"She can't be, Tommy," Florence sobbed as a fountain of tears escaped her eyes, "I can't do this without her."

"I know," Tommy whispered, wrapping his arms around her, letting her head rest against his chest as she sobbed, not caring how much his body hurt, the pain he felt in his heart as he cradled her was more than double what he felt from the bullet wound, "She was so proud of you, Florence."

"Tom, you need to get yourself patched up," Arthur muttered to his brother, his hands trembling as he looked at Imelda's dead body.

Tommy looked up at his two brothers, "She needs me."

"We'll take care of her, Tom," John assured his brother, "She won't thank you for bleeding out on her."

"Florence," Tommy whispered to the girl, "Arthur and John are going to take care of you, alright?"

Florence didn't utter a word, so Tommy took his chance and let go of the girl, standing up and making his way back to the pub.

"Floss," John knelt beside Florence, feeling uneasy at the death of someone who meant so much to him and his family, and was innocent to everything that had unfolded between Tommy and Billy Kimber, "I am so sorry."

"I have to tell Polly, Polly needs to know," Florence panicked as she quickly stood up, looking at the two Shelby men, her whole body shaking, "Will you take care of my mother?"

"Florence you're in no fit state to go anywhere on your own," John told her as he stood in front of her, "Arthur can stay here and help Jeremiah take your mother some place nice and safe, and we'll take baby Daisy to find Polly, okay?"