working girl » tommy shelby.

chapter eleven

[t/w - mentions of abortion.]

Rosie chuckled to herself as she watched Tommy argue with the nurses about him being discharged. Both Rosie and the nurses knew that the best place at that moment in time for Tommy was the hospital but, he was a strong-minded man and after half an hour of backwards and forwards arguing, they gave up and allowed him to leave. Tommy ignored Rosie's stares as he signed some documents and when he finally looked at her, he raised one eyebrow and pointed over to his infamous cap.

"You are going to make yourself worse by going down London when you aren't fully healed," Rosie said as she held onto Tommy's hand, taking her time as the two of them walked down to Charlie's yard. It was late at night and the streets of Birmingham was silent, something that Rosie wasn't used to. Most nights were filled with drunken laugher in the brothel so to hear nothing but hers and Tommy's breaths brought her a sense of serenity.

"I have a meeting with Alfie Solomon's that needs attending and no bastard wounds are going to stop me."

"Unless these injuries kill you," she mumbled, a smirk on her face. It would take more than a beating to kill Tommy Shelby. "How far now?"

"Just down this road," he said as he refused to show any pain. Tommy didn't want to listen to Rosie go on about how he should still be at the hospital. Business was more important.

When the two of them finally arrived at Charlie's yard, Rosie stayed back as she watched Tommy and his uncle talk. Every now and again, Charlie's head would turn to Rosie and he would gave her a quick smile. Still, Rosie could see the confusion on his face as he tried to figure out why Tommy was dragging a girl along when the trip was meant to be for business.

"Who's that, Tommy?" Charlie asked, his eyes only momentarily observing at you before he turned his attention back to his nephew.

"Her names Rosie and that's all you need to know. Don't go fucking telling Polly or anyone because I'll just get interrogated," Tommy answered, taking in a deep breath as a wave of pain ran over him. Charlie looked at his nephew with concern, he didn't want him to go to London because of the state that he was in but there was no point quarrelling with him.

"She doesn't seem like the type of girl to go for a man like you."

"You'd be surprised."

"I am familiar with her face, it's like I've seen her before," one of Charlie's workers said once he had finished loading the boats with Tommy and Rosie's bags, along with medical supplies and food. "Doesn't she work at the brothel?"

Charlie looked at Tommy with confusion, not seeing him as the type of man to fuck whores. "Brothel?"

"She doesn't work there anymore," Tommy said before anyone could make any discourteous remarks towards Rosie. "It's nobody's fucking business anyway."

"Are you using her to get over Grace?" The question was dangerous, and Charlie promptly regretted saying it when he saw the look on Tommy's face.

Tommy pointed his cigarette towards Charlie and began to speak. "I'm over fucking Grace. I have been for two years. Me and Rosie..." he trailed off and looked back at her. She was stood uncomplainingly by the boat as she waited for Tommy to finish his discussion. He noticed her hand slide into her coat pocket and pull out a small plastic bag, but he put the vision to the back of his mind, not thinking anything of it. "I've known her for a while and we have a past, that's all you need to know. Like I said, don't fucking tell anyone that I'm with her. Polly has already questioned me about her, she doesn't need to know that I've invited her down London."