Forbidden Alliances // Alfie Solomons Peaky Blinders

(96) Digbeth

*edited 03/26/23*

Freya ended up going back to the hospital and spent the rest of her day there in Digbeth. She spoke with her doctor from before when she was being treated for pneumonia. She was prescribed some medication for the pain and an unreleased medication that she paid handsomely for after being warned by her surgeon about the risks of it not being up to protocol.

She knew the only other options were either to be given an injection that would force a fever to indirectly lower her blood pressure or have surgery. 

She decided to take her chances on the medication.

The fluids and medications managed to get her blood pressure down and her system came out of fight-or-flight. Even though the doctors wanted her to stay overnight for observation, she could pay her way out of most situations.

So she took the bottles of little pills and hid them in her car, sealed her files, paid the doctor for high-security doctor-patient confidentiality, then slid her files under her car seat while she visited Pip.

It was around nine at night and his brother was bound to be on his way home but when she knocked on their door, he was already there. He was wearing an old, oiled white wife-beater and some oversized jeans like he had been there a while.

"He's not available. He won't be available for a while." The older boy tried closing the door on her but Freya stopped him and forced the door open with her non-dominant hand.

"Why?" she pondered, respecting that she wasn't welcome but refusing to accept that attitude.

"It's none of your business," he grumbled.

"I just wanna know why the runner I'm paying won't be seeing his employer."

"It's Mum..." he drew out snappily. He hid his pain with irritation and Freya couldn't bother being upset with that.

Freya stopped prying when she saw how uncomfortable the older boy got when she refused to leave. Death was hard, and those boys were so young that it was bound to hit them harder than if they were older and living on their own.

"She's... She's not doing well," he sighed.

"I'm sorry to hear that-"

"Leo!" Freya could hear Pip's voice from far away and the older boy turned at the sound of his name so Freya knew she hadn't made it up in her half-drugged and half-drunk mind.

"Leo, just let her in," he complained.

"Why?" The older boy shrugged. "What's she ever given us? Her money ain't gonna mean shit to us when Mum's gone!"

"Stop." Pip's voice was evidently hurt and innocent. The older boy's way of coping was hurting his little brother and there was nothing Freya could do to console any of them. It wasn't her place and she herself wasn't good with death. "She's not gone yet, pisspot!" Pip shoved his brother out the way, causing him to fall to the ground.

It surprised Freya to see this tall boy be struck to the ground by this smaller boy who was at least a foot shorter than him but when Freya took a second to consider their situation, she realized the boy was frailer than usual and his face was thin. His eyes had sunken in and his skin was paler. He didn't look well and Freya had initially written it off as overworking, lack of sleep, and now the stress of losing his mother, but she wondered if there was more to it.

Pip had let her inside and Leo had gotten back to his feet before hurrying up the steps. Once he disappeared, there was a loud creaking sound followed by a piercing thud when he slammed one of the doors upstairs behind him.