A crash jolted Tommy awake. He bolted upright from the armchair, drawing his gun. He expected an intruder.
"Thomas fucking Shelby," came a growl from the floor instead. "I am going to kill you."
"Fucking hell," he muttered, pocketing his gun once more.
Kimber was sprawled across the floor, next to the tray of food and water that had been on the bedside table. She glared at him thunderously, visible only due to the flickering lamplight. It was the middle of the night.
"Did you fall?" Tommy asked, scooping her off the floor.
Her face drained of colour, and he saw her jaw clench. She was in a lot of pain. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to lower the medication dose, he thought.
"No. I stood up to shoot you with your own gun."
Tommy sighed. It was nice to have her somewhat coherent again, but now she was proving to be a danger to herself.
"Your eyes are still glossed over," he told her, tucking her beneath the sheets once more. "You'd be more likely to shoot something three feet to my left."
"What have you done to me?" She hissed. "Why can't I remember anything?"
"Love, please calm down," he said. "If you're all worked up, Ada will increase your medication dose again."
"What medication?" She snapped.
Tommy took a breath. Fucking hell, he could barely remember how he'd summoned the words the first time. "There's been an accident," he said gently. "You were stabbed at the Grand National. You've been in hospital, now you're at Ada's house while you recover."
Her lip trembled, her eyes round with worry. "What?"
"You can't remember anything because you have painkillers and sedatives in your system. Some barbiturate cocktail the surgeon prescribed."
"Flush the lot," she said. "No more."
Privately, he agreed. "Alright."
"I mean it, Shelby." She glared. "Promise me."
He sighed. "I promise."
She relaxed back into the bed. "I thought you'd kidnapped me again," she finally said.
Tommy raised his eyebrows. "Did you, now?"
"If I'm honest, I'm a little disappointed." She gave a sly smile. "I have a promise to fulfill involving a pair of handcuffs."
Jesus fucking Christ. She was going to be the death of him. But, she was still under the influence.
"We'll see how you feel once you're all healed, shall we?" Tommy said.
Her eyes snapped to his. "Will you leave?" She asked, almost breathless. "Once I am?"
She'd asked that last time, too. Interesting, Tommy noted, and with it a flare of guilt. He reached for her hand once more. "No, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere."
"Liar," she said.
"Things have changed, love."
"Prove it," she whispered. "Lie with me."
Tommy's eyes flickered across the bed.
"I'm not going to try anything," she said. "I promise."
Ada would kill him if she saw. But Tommy was in no position to refuse Kimber, especially not when she was like this. He slowly unbuttoned his jacket, slipping it free, until he was in just his shirt, trousers and suspenders. He came to the other side of the bed and lay down on top of the covers beside her.
"No," she pouted. "I can't feel you like this."
Tommy chuckled. He ran his hand through her hair, gazing at her with affection ripe in his eyes. She leaned as deeply into him as she could, with the layers of cotton between them. "You're a patient, love. Ada would have my bollocks."
She thought for a moment. "We can't be having that," she decided. "You need those."
Tommy pressed his lips to her head, inhaling deeply. It was madness to think he'd ever doubted how deeply he loved her. That he'd ever tried to deny it. She was all that made sense.
"There's something else I need to tell you," he murmured.
His stomach instantly began to churn. It had been bad enough telling her the first time about Michael. But he knew he'd been let off too lightly, and she couldn't remember it.
"What is it?" She asked.
He swallowed before answering. "Michael's my cousin." She stiffened so absolutely against him, he thought she might have been made of stone. "I sent him to keep you safe."
A sharp thud hit the side of his head. He pulled away in shock, to see she was hitting every inch of him she could reach. He tried to grasp her by the wrists, to calm her down, but she launched herself off the bed once more.
"Kimber," he warned, standing up.
"What the fuck, Thomas Shelby?" She shouted. Her hands trembled. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Love, I'm sorry. I can explain—"
It was no use. She clutched the bedside table to pull herself to her feet. Before Tommy knew what was happening, a vase went flying past his ear, missing his head by inches. It shattered against the bookcase, flowers and water spilling across the polished floors.
He sighed, hearing the thunder of footsteps coming up the stairs. "You've done it now," he muttered.
"What is going on?" Ada asked in shock. She glared at Tommy. "Half the dose, he says! Not good for her, he says!" She lifted Kimber back into bed, who'd exhausted herself so fully from her own rage, she couldn't fight against it.
"Don't increase the dose again," Tommy warned.
"I'll do whatever I please as I'm the one with the surgeon's instructions!"
But Tommy noticed she only filled the syringe to halfway once more.
"No," Kimber said, eyes widening as she realised what was happening. But Ada was a fast worker, and the injection was already given.
"Tommy, you promised me," she said, thunderous once more.
"Ripped all her stitches," Ada muttered, examining the bandages. "I'll have to re-do those, they won't be nearly as clean..."
Tommy gave Kimber an exasperated look. "I can't have you hurting yourself."
Kimber's eyes rolled back in her head as she slumped against the pillow, but she fought it. Ada stepped away to fetch the medical supplies.
"I hate you," Kimber whispered.
The words were a knife through Tommy's chest.
She shook her head, drifting off to sleep. "I don't mean it," she mumbled. She held out her hand, reaching for him. He took it in his own.
"No more," she whispered, barely audible. "I want to remember this... I want to remember all of you."
His heart had never been so full.