- FROZEN HEARTS -
February 27th, 1920
Church bells rang out as morning light shone through Rose's curtains onto her face. She rolled over in her bed, the events of the night before racing through her mind. She gingerly brought a hand to her throat, running her fingers across the shallow cut.
Gently, she reached across the small bed to find it empty. The pillow still smelt like woody cologne as she pulled the covers away. Rose didn't know why she expected him to be there; he had only said he would stay the night, but something in her chest sank as she saw the empty bed and his clothing gone from the chair.
She sat up, bracing herself for the cold, only to suddenly realize that it had not only been the stray beam of sun that had warmed her, but the small, crackling, fire slowly burning in her fireplace.
She stared at it for a moment, watching the flames dance and remembering the flicker of his phantom breath across her neck.
Even as she set up the clinic for the day, she could still feel his lazy touch up and down her arm. He made her angry and frustrated and more confused than anything, but somehow amongst all the chaos, there was something else. Comfort.
The ringing of the telephone snapped her out of her daze.
"Hello?" she said, quickly picking up the phone.
"Rose, it's Polly."
Her voice was rushed and hard to hear over the phone, but Rose would recognize the woman's drawl anywhere.
"Hello, Polly," Rose replied, trying not to think of all the reasons Polly might call her. "What can I help you with?"
"I need you to go to the police station."
"What? Why, Polly?"
"I don't have time to explain, but-"
"No, Polly, I can't just be left in the dark again. You tell me why and I will close up the clinic and go now, but I won't be left to guess."
The line fell silent for a second, and Rose was frozen on the spot.
"Polly?" she asked quietly.
"It's the guns, Rose. Tommy said you know about them. My sources said they were taken this morning- apprehended by the police and that new fucking Inspector. I need to know for sure."
Rose's heart dropped and she braced herself against the wall. Everything that had happened the night before had been for nothing. They had found out the location of the guns anyways. Rose tried to keep her voice even as she lifted the phone back to her lips.
"And why would going to the police station help you?"
"Because," Polly almost whispered, "we need to find out what they're planning on doing about it. I need you to go down there and see if they're saying anything."
"Why me, Polly? Why not send one of the boys?"
Polly sighed, "The moment I send any of our boys down there, their mouths will shut. They don't know you're a Blinder, so use that. Tell them somebody stole your purse, I don't care."
It was Rose's turn to fall silent.
"What?"
"You heard me, love. For better or worse, you've gotten yourself tangled up with us. You're a Blinder now, Rosie. So, go down to the police station and figure out what's going on."
The line went dead and Rose slowly hung up the phone.
A Blinder. She was a Peaky Blinder.
Everything she had heard told her that the Peaky Blinders were evil. Murderous. But each time she had been around the the Shelbey family, they had shown her nothing but kindness. Around them the brokenness of her heart did not matter. She had lived in Small Heath for months, but somehow, they were the only people that felt like family- that felt like home.
She was a Peaky Blinder.
She did not look back as she pulled her hat low over her eyes and made her way to the police station. Her heart was racing as she smiled at passers-by, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.
Quickly, she pushed open the door to the station and walked over to the front desk. The officer sitting there- a small, grey haired man- smiled up at her.
"Hello, Nurse!" he said, putting his papers down and pointing to a small cut across his brow that Rose had stitched weeks before. "Healin' up nice 'cause of you, love! What can I do for ya?"
"Hi, Officer Rory," she smiled gently, "My purse was stolen earlier this morning and I was just wondering if anything had been handed in to you?"
"Bloody hell," he mumbled under his breath. "The crime in this city! Nothing has been turned in lost, Nurse, but if you just wait a minute I'll grab you a form you can fill in to report it missin'."
"I would be most grateful," she smiled again, her voice saccharine. Rose could have sworn she saw a blush rise on his cheeks as he quickly stood up to retrieve the form.
A small part of her sunk as she watched him go- he was too kind for this. The sadness only lasted a moment, though, as a short, angry-faced, man came barrelling in to the station. Without so much as an 'exuse me', he pushed open his door and slammed it behind him. Three officers followed, their faces drawn in frustration.
As casually as possible, Rose leaned against the wall outside his office.
"What is going on, Sir?" one of the officers asked with a thick Birmingham accent.
"We've got them," came a low voice with a thick Irish accent. The Inspector. "We've got the guns."
"How, Sir?" another officer chimed in.
"Well it doesn't matter now, does it?" the Inspector shouted. "All you god-forsaken bastards need to know is that my operative has done more work for this country than any of you lot ever will."
"We've got the guns, Sir. That's enough to put the Peaky boys away for life," the third officer said slowly. "So, why are you so angry?"
"They won't just go to jail, boys. I will see to it myself that Tommy Shelby hangs for this nonsense," the Inspector said, his voice like gravel and the hatred in his words palpable. Rose was frozen in her chair, trying to keep her eyes trained on the floor.
"And I'm angry because we didn't find all the guns, you idiot! We found all but one of them."
"Well, surely-"
"No," the Inspector growled. "It doesn't matter. This is enough to get Tommy Shelby on the end of a rope. My men are already on their way from Digbeth and we'll round up the bastards one by one-"
"Nurse King?"
Startled out of her concentration, Rose looked up to see the desk officer holding out a piece of paper.
"Oh thank you so much, Sir" she said, smiling. "You really are the true backbone of this fine institution."
"Oh I don't know about that," the officer mumbled, a deeper blush rising on his cheeks.
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Rory," she said, quickly filling out a description of a random handbag and placing it on his desk.
Without another word, she turned and left the station, her heart racing in her throat.
She raced down the street, only stopping when she reached Tommy's house. She slammed her palm on the door.
"Tommy!" she yelled. "Open up, Tommy!"
The door swung open just as she was about to bring her hand down once more.
Polly didn't hesitate to grab her arm and pull her in, slamming the door quickly behind them.
"Polly they have the guns," she said, out of breath. "They have the guns, Polly. Tommy will hang for it if they catch him, I know it!"
"Breath, Rose-" Polly began, but Rose just shook her head.
"That inspector said they have an operative who found out about them, but-"
Suddenly it all made sense- the lying, the secrecy, the endless questions. It had to be Grace.
"Grace," Rose whispered, pacing across the small sitting room. "Polly, the operative- it's Grace."
Polly nodded gravely as if she had already known the answer- already seen it.
"What are we going to do, Polly! Campbell said his men are on the way down from Digbeth; they'll be here within the hour and-"
The front door slammed open again, John and Arthur barreling through it.
"Pol, Jeremiah's just told us there are more coppers coming in to town- something about those fucking guns," John seethed, his eyes frantic.
"Where the fuck is Tommy," Arthur said quickly, looking around the room. "They'll be after him first."
"The Garrison," Rose exclaimed, looking at the clock. "He'll be at the Garrison!"
John and Arthur turned on their heels, but Polly grabbed their arms.
"They'll be looking for you both as well. Find somewhere safe and lay low," she said, looking back and forth between them. They just nodded and stalked out the door.
"I'll find Tommy," Rose said. "I know a place they won't look; I'll keep him safe."
Polly just nodded once again. "Godspeed, girl."
Without so much as a backwards glance, Rose was off again. As she walked, water splashed up her tights but she did not care. As soon as the lights of the Garrison illuminated to road, she broke out in to a run. Behind her, she could hear the hooves of policemen's horses echoing off the pavement.
He was easy to find- his fine suit stood out among the rest of them men sitting and drinking around him. As the door flung open, his head turned to look at her. It only took a second for him to see the panic in her eyes; he stood up from his stool and, taking a quick look over his shoulder, walked over to her.
"Not here," he muttered, gently grabbing her arm and pulling her back out the door.
Rose nodded. "Follow me."
She wrapped her arm in his and began leading him to the clinic. She fumbled for her keys, finally pulling them out of her pocket and unlocking the door.
"Coppers," she said finally, ushering Tommy through the door. "The police are on their way from Digbeth, sent by that bloody Inspector."
Rose kept walking to the back of the small clinic where she opened up another door. Inside, it was a room with a bed, nightstand, and a small mirror handing on the wall. There had been many nights when she could not have been bothered making the trek back to her flat, so she stayed at the clinic, cooped up in the small room.
Tommy was still silent as they stood at the doorway of the bedroom.
"They found the guns, Tommy. Inspector Campbell found the guns and they're out for blood. Your blood."
Taking off his hat, he ran a hand through his close-cropped hair. He sighed, but was still silent.
"So you can stay here and lay low. They won't look for you here. I'll bring breakfast in the morning."
The sun had officially fallen over the horizon and it was only the light of the street lamps spilling through the windows that illuminated their faces.
"Tommy say something," she whispered, taking another step closer to him. He tilted his head back, letting out another long sigh.
"Arthur and John?" he asked quietly, taking a step away from Rose and into the room. "Where are they?"
"Polly took care of them," Rose said, watching him sit on the small bed.
He just nodded, resting his cap on his knee.
Leaning against the door frame, Rose let out a small laugh.
"Why is it, Tommy, that someone is always trying to kill you?"
There was no humour in his face as he looked up at her.
"This is my life, Rose. It's what I do."
She just shook her head. "I'm not asking you to change, Tommy. But there are other options-"
"Other options?" he laughed mirthlessly. Even in the darkness, she could see frustration contorting his face.
"Tommy, I didn't mean-"
"So what are you here to do then, Rose? You said you would help me, but this is who I am! What are you here to do? Be the girl who finally thawed Tommy Shelby's frozen heart?" he yelled with a sneer, throwing his hands in the air. He stood, pacing across the room.
"No, Thomas," she exclaimed, pushing off the door and walking towards him. Looking him right in the eyes she pointed a finger at his chest. "I am here to be the girl who gives a shit about the gangster who cares about his loved ones so much he'd rather push them away than let them anywhere near his so called frozen heart."
He just stared at her, his infamous anger boiling right under the surface. Usually so under control, his temper finally flared in his crystal eyes.
"I'm the girl who, despite everything, knows what it feels like to not sleep at night. Who knows what those dreams are like. I know what it's like to only hear the bullets ringing through your head. So open your goddamn eyes, Tommy Shelby. I'm here to be the person who cares about you and who loves you even when you push everybody so damn far away."
She was breathless as she finished, her finger pressing in to his chest. As they stood there in silence, she finally realized what she had said.
What made her freeze in place, though, were not the words but that she meant them. As she looked up at him- his wide eyes the only indicator that he had heard her- she realized that she did love him. That she loved the kindness underneath his mask and the way he would do anything for those he cared for. She loved that this man in front of her, just as broken as her, had pulled her out of her darkness if only for a moment and showed her what living could be like.
"I have to go," she muttered, almost tripping as she took a step back.
"Rose," he whispered, frozen in a way she had never seen him.
"I have to go. Stay here as long as you need. Goodnight Thomas," she said quickly, turning around and walking out of the clinic. She did not need to turn to know his eyes were trained in her back as she left.
...........
Finally a new chapter! I'm so sorry this to so long, but I hope you like it!!!
Also: ROSE IS A BLINDER WOOOHOOOO!
Please let me know if you liked this chapter and maybe something you're hoping to see in the next few, too!
Thank you so so much!
B