Later on that evening Olivia had dosed Tommy up on morphine when she noticed that he was struggling to contain his pain. It was when she was checking his bruised ribs, just the touch of her finger tips had him reeling away.
"Do you have to check those?" He demanded through gritted teeth.
Olivia tucked the sheet back around him, careful not to touch his skin further "You're in pain Mr Shelby. I'm going to give you some morphine"
He watched her carefully as she began to prepare the pain medication, watching as a strand of her hair fell from under her nurses hat. Having only known her for a short time he could tell she was tired, having been forced to dedicate her time to him.
As she pressed down on his inner elbow she looked up at him, catching his eyes on her once again "You'll feel a slight scratch" she warned.
It didn't matter. Tommy's body was riddled in pain, so much so that the needle in his arm was a relief. As soon as she injected the morphine he felt his body begin to relax.
Leaning his head back on the pillow he closed his eyes "Don't you have someone to take over from you?" He asked as he heard her move away and take her seat.
"No" she replied "Not until you're out of the woods" her voice was calm and full of warmth, something he felt he didn't deserve.
"Do you do this for all your patients in a similar position?" He opened one eye to get a look at her reaction but she was looking down, scribbling her notes.
"Not really but given your...." she paused briefly "reputation, the hospital thought it would be best that I head up your care"
"You're the best I take it" he closed his eyes once again, his body tingling with relief.
He heard her slight laugh and her pen scrape against the paper "I'd like to think so"
———
As he fell into a pain free slumber he found himself in the same hospital room but this time he was free of his pain riddled body but not of his memories.
There where images of his brother John's funeral, the smoke suffocating his lungs as he watched the coffin burn.
The day he met Ada's baby boy.
The day he watched Grace leave on the train as he promised himself to never let another woman in.
A moment in the tunnels when he looked down the tunnel, his ears straining to hear when he suspected they weren't alone.
Tommy couldn't escape the fires licking at his ankles, even in his sleep he was being tortured by all of his mistakes.
——
"He's okay Miss Grey, he had an uneventful night which is good news. We're going to try and get him up today, get his legs moving"
"Isn't it a bit soon Nurse Heart?"
"The longer we leave it the harder it will be for him. It's going to be painful but it has to be now" she said softly, her voice soothing Tommy as he groggily fought off the morphine.
"I understand. Can you call me when you're done? His family are worried" Tommy had never heard his aunt so worried before, her voice was barely a whisper.
"Of course"
——
"Get fucking off me!" He snapped as Jackson tried to lift him off the bed "I can do it myself"
Olivia eyed him carefully, her eyes narrowing in on him as he declined their help. Jackson feebly stood back but was prepared to step in if he had too.
"Jackson stand close by"
It infuriated Tommy that she didn't believe he could do it.
"I don't need his help" he hissed at her as his brow began to sweat.
"Fine, up you get then!" She said with fake cheeriness that he was certain was on purpose. Taking a step back from him she smiled but he could see through it. Nurse Heart was pissed at him for being rude.
As soon as he pushed up he felt the bottom of his spine give out and his head throb painfully. Before he could even register the movement of the room her hands where on him, trying to support him.
"See what happens when your pride gets in the way" she whispered in his ear before getting Jackson to step in.
Allowing them both to help him up he focused on her words, how they had stung and used it to fight off the pain.
Once he was up on his feet he felt instant relief. He would walk again and he knew it was because she was pushing him.
Olivia stepped back and breathed a sigh of relief as Jackson continued to support his weight.
"Let's walk over to the chair shall we?" She asked him, her big brown eyes full of relief.
"You don't want much do you eh?" He said back as he lifted his right foot, ignoring the twinge in the front of his skull as he took a first step forward.
Olivia was too focused on him to pay attention to his snarky rebuttal. Clapping her hands in delight she threw him a huge smile. It was only when he saw the pure relief on her face did he realise how serious his condition was.
This moment could of gone one of two ways. As he was helped down into the chair he watched as she touched Jackson's arm and thanked him for his help. Jackson threw her a crinkled smile before leaving the room.
"How's your head?" She asked him as she took the seat across from him.
"Throbbing"
"You should be relieved Mr Shelby. If you wouldn't of walked we would be having a very different conversation"
Tommy watched as she nervously shifted in her seat "Why?"
"With a brain injury like yours....the first week is important. The aim is to get your brain and body working in sync again. If you wouldn't of been able to do that, well, it may have been a wheelchair for you"
Tommy suddenly pictured himself in a wheel chair and felt panic flurry up his throat. How could he be the man he was if he was stuck in a chair?
Closing his eyes he swallowed his emotions down and listened to the sound of her pen as she finished up her notes.
"Mr Shelby" she asked gently but he was too tired to open his eyes, instead he lifted his hand slightly to let her know he was listening. "My shift ends soon and you'll be checked upon by the night nurse. Do you need anything before I go?"
"I need to smoke" he told her without an ounce of emotion in his voice. Even that was tiring.
Tommy listened to her delicate sigh and would of smirked if he had the energy.
"Shall we cut a deal?" She asked him and this gave him enough energy to open his eyes. Tommy was surprised as she smiled at him, her big brown eyes twinkling under the light.
"Go on"
"If you do this again tomorrow with no arguments I will take you outside to smoke"
Tommy thought about doing this again and wondered if he was physically able. It had taken all of his strength to take one step.
"Fine" he mumbled "But I don't want him in here. Just me and you" he told her, refusing to look away.
"Very well" she said "I've got to go call your family to update them but ring the bell if you need anything"
——
Olivia was furious the next morning when Lila and Anne had informed her that her private patient had shooed them away when it came to his morphine shot.
Anne had taken the brunt of his anger and was eager to inform Olivia that under no circumstances would she look in on him again.
Pushing her way into his room she was abruptly stopped by his family whose were all sat around his bed. It was too early for visitation so she knew they had pushed by security.
"I hear you've been causing the nurses trouble Mr Shelby" she said as she walked into the room, not caring that she was interrupting their meeting. This was her space, not theirs.
Tommy glared up at the ceiling, knowing that she had dropped him right in it.
"Tommy can you just behave for one day?" Ada hissed from the corner as she rocked her baby boy in her arms.
"How am I supposed to get better when they come in ere' chirping on?" He spat back at his sister but it was aimed at Olivia.
"Your temps up and you're sweating" Olivia said "I would say your pain level right now is at a seven" she mused as she gently began to unwrap his head bandage "It wouldn't of happened if you would of let them in"
Slipping off the bandage she opened her mouth "If any of you are squeamish I would leave now" she said as she looked over her shoulder, unaware of Tommy's eyes on her.
"I'm off" Arthur said as he began to turn green, quickly leaving the room.
Tommy watched as her usually composed face turned to worry, her eyes flickering as she scanned something he couldn't see.
"What is it?" He demanded.
Olivia looked down at him with her practised smile "Nothing, it all looks good from here"
"Looks like it's going to scar" Polly smirked as Olivia changed his bandage, careful not to let her fingers touch his skin.
"Another one to add to the list eh Tommy?" Ada said, trying to uplift the mood.
Tommy was passed uplifting as he watched his nurse move away from his bed, her hips swaying as she went to the sink to wash her hands. It was unusual to meet a woman that wasn't afraid of him or his family.
It was a given that their reputation had kept every day people at bay but she had adapted to him so quickly. It was like he had always known her.
"Are you listening?" Polly demanded as he watched Olivia leave.
——
They both sat in silence outside as he smoked. It was like pure heaven as the smoke burned his lungs but he wouldn't tell her that, she was far to smug right now.
Watching her from the corner of his eye he saw how she huddled into her coat, enjoying being outside but not the affects of the cold weather.
"Feel better?" She asked him.
"That I do" he replied back as he watched the smoke leave his mouth.
"Hello Nurse Heart!" An elderly man who was being chaperoned by an orderly greeted as he passed them both.
"Hello Victor" she waved back, her smile soft as she watched him walk away.
"You're very well liked" Tommy commented.
"It's what happens when you're a nice person" she replied back with a pointed look that he had seen many times on her face.
"Being nice gets your know where"
"Me being nice to you means your chance of survival is higher. Doesn't that mean we're getting somewhere?"
"It's your job"
"Correct but if I wasn't nice to you, if I wasn't caring then your care would suffer"
Tommy liked her, she always had a smart comment prepared for him. Always saw the world differently to him.
"I take it you've never been wronged?" He enquired as he watched more patients walk on by.
Olivia scrunched up her nose at the personal question but he was certain she would answer, he could tell that she was intrigued by him.
"Of course I have. Who hasn't?"
"Who was it?"
"That's a bit personal Mr Shelby" she said as she turned away to hide the blush on her pretty cheeks.
"I'm guessing it was a man"
Turning to look at him she glared but couldn't bring herself to say anything, probably worried about her professional boundaries.
So, instead he decided to push.
"It must be a man. You've spent most of your evenings tending to me"
"Okay that's enough" she spat as she snatched his cigarette from his hands and threw it onto the ground. Once it was clear from his grips she began pushing his chair back into hospital.
"I've hit a nerve"
"What's new?" She mumbled back as they slipped into the hospital.
Tommy didn't know why he wanted to upset her, maybe it had something to do with his situation, the lack of control or that she pushed all of his buttons.
"Nurse Heart" Dr Sailes greeted as he walked by them.
"Was it him?" He asked
Olivia scoffed "No! You're so far off the mark with that one"
Relief spread through Tommy as he listened to the disgust in her voice when it came to her boss. What he hadn't realised is while he was delving for information Olivia was preparing.
"If you must know Mr Shelby" she said as she pushed him back into his room. Tommy paused to hear the information he so craved "you'll just have to figure it out yourself, think of it this way, it will give you something to do other than scaring the nurses away"