Waste Not Want Not

Chapter 3 Where to Now, My Love

Sweeney sat there, motionless with his head hung low.

"Love!" Nellie cried flying up the stairs. "What's happened? Are you alright? I heard a shout and..." her blathering was cut short by Sweeney's unmoving gaze. "Lovey?" she knelt in front of him.

His facial features were twisted in pain. Teeth grinding, eyes shut, brow tightened. His left hand was grasping his right wrist. From his wrist down... "Oh my god! Sweeney what happened?" His right hand was red and bruised. The bone most likely broken in several places. It's a miracle some fingers weren't missing.

His gaze shot up to meet hers. "What do you think bloody happened!" He growled loudly at her.

"Your hand, love. It's not broken, is it?"

She subconsciously reached out to touch his injury. She could be a very nurturing woman under the circumstances. Sweeney yanked his hand away before her fingers could make contact. "Don't touch it!" he roared like an injured beast.

"We need to take it to a doctor." Nellie spoke.

"No, I'll be fine." Sweeney said trying to stand up without the use of his arms, but with the use of his lover.

Nellie's gaze was stern and daring. "Your hand was smashed in the bleedin' door, wasn't it? We're going to a doctor." She said helping him down the steps. "But first," she looked instead at her shop now that the two of them reached the cobblestones. "I think I might have something for the pain." She ran back inside. Leaving Sweeney to lean against the wall feeling dizzy and exhausted. She grinned in success at the bottle of laudanum she pulled from the cupboard in the bathroom. It used to belong to Albert to ease his pain in those final days. There was still a decent number of drops left in the jar.

Sweeney didn't bother arguing back, he was in too much pain to even think about arguing with his baker. "Here love, this stuff is a bit old, and the taste will surely be awful, but it should ease up the pain a bit." She said placing about six or seven drops onto his tongue. She honestly had no clue what was too much and what wasn't. She went for six thinking that'd be a small dosage she doesn't want to poison the love of her life now does she. Albert would complain that six drops was nothing and the man would literally chug from the bottle. He was larger than Sweeney, however.

He gagged and his face contorted in disgust.

"Sorry dear," Nellie spoke placing the bottle in their bags. Sweeney hoisted his own bag on his back and Nellie was finally able to lock the door, taking one last solemn look at her home. Leaving a non-spoken goodbye, she picked up her suitcase.

*^*

"Come on now love," Nellie coaxed. She managed to get him down the stairs. "Now, Doctor Wilks is just a few blocks this way, near the Thames." She began dragging him in the direction of the Thames.

He grunted in reply.

"What happened with Toby? Is he what did this to your hand?" Nellie asked.

"He's gone. I took care of him." He spoke nonchalantly.

Nellie swallowed; it was finished then. This night of stress and terrors could now end.

The rain started falling once they reached the door of Doctor Wilks. Nellie used to pick up medicine from him for Albert back in the days. Nellie banged on the door twice. "No doctor will be awake at this hour." Sweeney grumbled.

"Fine, then we can try the hospital."

"No." Sweeney spoke in alarm, almost panicking. Her brows knit together. Was he afraid of hospitals? It's a conversation they've never shared before. Sweeney seemed to be immune to fear, though Benjamin Barker was afraid of everything, Nellie could remember.