medicine (finn shelby.)

nineteen.

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Arthur Shelby had been dead for three whole days, and Finn was distraught. Penny spent an hour trying to calm his anger and upset before he was prepared enough to attend the funeral. He swung from fury to heartbreak in a matter of mere seconds. Everly did her best to make him smile as he waited for Penny to arrive but there was nothing she could do to muster any kind of joy. Even the sight of the love of his life couldn't create a smile.

Surprisingly, Arthur's death had provided one silver lining to Finn and Penny's relationship. Finn had realised that lives can change it a split second, and seeing Linda and her unfulfilled life achievements she wanted to complete with Arthur meant that he never wanted to end up feeling that way. As a result of this, he made the bold decision to barge into the brothel one night and ask Penny to be his girlfriend. Obviously she said yes, without a shadow of a doubt. It was almost embarrassing how quickly she accepted his offer.

The pair of them stood leant against the front wall of Finn's old home. Dressed head to toe in black, the colour palette of the street became even more depressing and soulless than usual. Penny laced her hand with Finn's and rested her head on his shoulder as he lit up a cigarette one handed.

"Everyone's staring at me." Penny realised as she felt the stares of the Shelby family burning holes in her skin. "Is it because I'm a whore?"

"It's because you're fucking gorgeous. No one can knock about with looks like yours and not get gawped at." Finn answered and pecked her forehead.

"If you're not careful Finn, people might start to think that you fancy me or something." Penny smiled.

Finn chuckled to himself and kept quiet. Just hearing him laugh was enough to satisfy her after the morning he'd spent in tears.

"Can you see that girl over there, the brown curly bob and young boy?" Finn nodded in the direction of his older sister and nephew.

"Barely, I'm almost blind and I think I need glasses." She squinted, the blurry figures finally clearing. "Okay, I see them."

The woman was beautiful in every way, but equally looked as if she could slit Penny's throat without a second thought. The boy looked nothing like his mother except for the brown curly mop that he'd inherited from her.

"That's my sister Ada and her son Karl." Finn revealed. "She was married to a man called Freddie Thorne but he died."

"That's so sad. But Karl, really?" Penny asked with a hint of confusion.

"Named after Karl fucking Marx of course." Finn rolled his eyes. "That blonde woman over there with the baby, that's Linda and Billy."

"Who are they?" Penny asked innocently as she looped both of her arms with Finn's right arm.

Finn hesitated before answering as he swallowed the growing lump in his throat.

"That's Arthur's wife and son." He sighed. 

Linda appeared as if she was trying to contain all her emotions but failing miserably. There were tears in her eyes, burning them and the hand the was supporting her baby was shaking. The baby didn't look any more than a few months old, seven at the most. The idea of Billy growing up without his dad broke Penny's heart, the pain of living without a parent was a pain like no other.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked softly and gazed up at her boyfriend.

Finn was trembling under his thick layer of bravery and wanted nothing more than to break down and sob. He knew he couldn't and that was even harder for him to cope with. He simply wanted to return to his home and crawl into bed with Penny and laugh as Everly barged her way in. Moments like that meant everything possible to him.

"Can you tell me if you can see Arthur? I don't want to have to look at him when he comes bye." Finn choked out and stared at his cigarette butt that was on the floor.

"It might be good for you to look, maybe as closure?" Penny offered.

"No. I don't want it to be real and seeing him like that makes it so much more real. Seeing him means it's not one of those things I get where I'll accidentally say dream something horrific happen and then I can't stop thinking about it." Finn rambled.

"I didn't know you feel that way." Penny quietly whispered.

"I had one once where I lost you and Everly and I didn't have anyone else to turn to." He admitted.

"Silly bastard, I'm not going anywhere." She pulled his head down and kissed him firmly on the lips in front of his entire family. "I can't believe you and Everly get on so well, she's an annoying little bitch but I love to pieces."

"She's like a small version of you, what's not to love?" Finn shrugged.

"I suppose." Penny rolled her eyes jokingly.

The somber looks that appeared on everyone around them's faces indicated that Arthur and the procession had arrived. Turning round, Finn and Penny were greeted with a horse drawn caravan, guided by Curly and Charlie. Finn squeezed Penny's hand so tightly she almost lost circulation.

The procession was slow so that mourners could add flowers. The caravan was intricately detailed and the beautiful colours finally brought some light to Watery Lane. Neither Linda or Ada moved from the spot they were firmly welded to as the caravan passed them. Finn and Penny were the last two on the street to mourn and the caravan got to them last.

"Could you go for me, I don't think I can do it." Finn choked up again as the caravan drew nearer.

Penny honored his wishes and walked over to the caravan is it passed them by, walking right up to the window on the side and placing flowers on the shelf underneath.

She peered inside, curiosity getting the better of her. The inside of the caravan was horrifically shocking. Arthur's uniform from the war was laid out in there, his medals lined up on the jacket. There was a photo of him in the war, and another of him, Linda and Billy all looking happy and proud. There was a bottle of Arthur's favourite whisky and a box of cigarettes just next to the photo frames. There were various other things that Arthur valued highly, but there was one thing missing that even Penny couldn't help but notice.

There was no body. There was no Arthur.

♤

a/n: the last 2 or 3 weeks have been SO busy and insane that i've barely had time to eat never mind write. i know this chapter is a little shorter but i really wanted to write! x