A Twist In Time

The Truth Hurts

After leaving Newt in the kitchen to ponder over the book on curses he was reading I made my way through Small Heath until I made it to the surgery. I wasn't too surprised to see Dr Turner leaning against Lucy's desk, the pair of them muttering softly.

I didn't like the look Dr Turner gave me when he turned to look at whomever entered his peace.

"Nurse Shelby." And there was the condescending tone he was going to use. "I'm not impressed with your behaviour yesterday." He pushed his cigarette out into the ashtray on Lucy's desk, his arms coming to cross over his chest as his eyebrows furrowed in a frown. "Mrs Gibbs was traumatised when I got to her yesterday."

"She went through a miscarriage, of course she was traumatised!" I snapped, annoyed that he was pointing the blame at me.

"You weren't on duty, you should have never gone to her."

"Are you blaming me for her loss? She was already losing too much blood when I arrived. There was no preventing her delivery," I told him, clenching my hands over the handle of my nursing bag as I glanced to see the same look on Lucy's face. She was agreeing with Dr Turner.

"That young woman went through something traumatic, she will never—"

"I know what she went through, Dr Turner, probably a hell of a lot better than you do." I couldn't stand the fact that he kept highlighting how traumatic Nora's experience was. Couldn't he think of anything better to say?

"Yes, yes, because you are a woman, you understand her feelings. Well, I would like to inform you, young lady, that just because you are a woman, it doesn't mean you will experience the same as every other woman out there."

What a condescending arsehole.

"As a matter of fact, Dr Turner, I can put myself in Nora's shoes because I —"

"You cannot put yourself in Nora's shoes! Stop thinking you can!"

"I miscarried yesterday!" I snapped at him, feeling my chest rise and fall rapidly like my anger. I was almost satisfied with the shocked look on his face. Almost. "Not that it's any of your business, Dr Turner, but I also experienced a miscarriage while helping Nora with hers. So yes, I can put myself in her shoes." I huffed and set my nursing bag down on the counter next to me as I turned to give him my full attention. "I don't think this is going to work out."

"No, I suppose it wouldn't do for you to be on the midwifery rota for a couple of weeks. You can start today's shift by giving a visit to Lizzie Stark," he grumbled, turning and grabbing a note from Lucy. "She was in an altercation last night with an unwanted guest. See to her wounds before finishing off with the factory lot."

There was something about the way he said altercation and guest that made me grit my teeth. He had no respect for a woman of Lizzie's profession. Just because she did what she had to to help her family meant it was alright to regard her with disgust.

"When I said this wasn't going to work I didn't mean me working on the midwifery rota. I meant working for you." I rolled my eyes at the blatant disrespect this man held towards women. It was clear he thought they were meant to be underneath him. And if I was any good at reading minds - which I was - he was very much pressuring Lucy into being underneath him almost every evening before returning home to his wife. "It was ... well I can't even say it was nice working with you because you're a stuck up arsehole."

"Why you little—" he stopped when I raised a hand in front of me.

"I would think carefully about what you're going to say or do, Dr Turner, lest you forget who my husband is."

Had I ever felt so powerful reminding someone that Thomas Shelby was my husband? No.

Did I enjoy seeing the fright in his eyes as he thought of all the horrible things Tommy could do to him? Yes.