Y O U R C R U C I B L E
"May you be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows you're dead."
Lottie Thorne, sister of the notorious Freddie Thorne, is counted as part of the Shelby family. And her loyalty is...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"I don't want to disturb you"
Exhaustion was the only thing Lottie felt as she sat on her bed. Her eyes kept wanting to shut again, but she feared that if they did, she'd never wake. The doctor examined her injuries - apparently he'd been called not long after she'd woken. He told her everything was healing well but she needed to rest.
Tommy and Polly stood in the room, listening more closely to the doctor than Lottie was. Instead, her mind was wandering. She'd had a baby. A baby boy. Lottie hadn't met him yet but all her maternal instincts were crying out for him. She needed to hold him, to feel him breathe, to hear his heartbeats. She needed to see Freddie, too. To hug him tightly and to see his face.
Maxim had run in the moment Tommy had said she'd woken. He'd been babysitting for her and, for that, she would forever be in his debt. But the person she mostly wanted to see was Michael but he was no where around. Whenever she asked about him, Polly would say he'll come as fast as he can, but she knew she was lying. He didn't want to see her. The thought of his abandonment broke her heart more than having to live with James.
The doctor finished his analysis of Lottie, satisfied, and he, along with Tommy and Polly, left the room. Tommy stood with the man in the hallway, his face serious. "She'll be alright, won't she?"
"Physically, yes," said the doctor. "She'll make a full recovery."
Polly raised her eyebrow. "'Physically'?" She questioned.
"Yes," he nodded nervously. "I am a doctor for the body. Not for the mind. She has experienced some severe trauma and whilst on the outside she's healing, her mind may take longer. What she needs is support from her family to help her heal. To show that she can reconnect with who she was before the event. This may take some time and so it would be best for her to avoid stressful situations." He paused and looked at the two of them. "Has she told anyone what happened to her? It might help her recover if she is able to speak to someone."
"No," said Tommy, anger in his eyes. Not for Lottie, but to whoever hurt Lottie. He was going to kill the bastard who did this to her. "Not yet."
Polly eyed Tommy warily. The front door swung open and Ada entered, her eyes wide. "Is it true?" She asked instantly. "Is she awake?" The three nodded and Ada sighed heavily in relief, walking straight towards Lottie's room.
"Be careful," the doctor called after her. "She needs rest."
Ada opened the door and gasped in relief when she saw Lottie sitting up in the bed. Lottie smiled at her weakly, her body trembling and tears in her eyes.
