Mrs Gray

three.

three.
itch for the cure

"Anna, love." A soft voice nursed Anna from her brief sleep. She forced her head up off Michael's hospital bed, wincing as she felt a sharp pain in her neck from where she had slept on it. Her eyes were met with harsh sunlight as they fluttered open to first see her mother stood in the doorway, gazing sympathetically.

Once she had remembered the previous day's events, her head whipped round to the man laying in the bed. It was only then that she noticed her hand gripping tightly to her husband's. His face was calm, far too calm for her liking; he looked lifeless.

"There's a family meeting." Her mother tried once again to get her daughter's attention.

"Just tell me what happens."

"Tommy's insisting you come."

"Well then Tommy will have to come here and drag me out himself."

"Ive spoken to the nurses. They say Michael will be out cold for another day at best. Time will go quicker when you're not cooped up in this room." Sighing in defeat, Anna struggled to remove her hand from Michael's unconscious grip. She stood up before leaning over his bed and kissing his forehead softly. His skin was still warm under her lips, a warmth she could only possibly feel from him.

Before she could change her mind, she followed her mum out of the room, giving looks of warning to the men who she was trusting to look after her boy.

*

Anna didn't sit at the table. As far as she was concerned, her and Michael were forever separated from this family now. She stood in the corner with Isiah despite several pleads from Polly and Ada to join the remaining Shelbys at the table. With makeup from Christmas Day smudged beneath her eyes, she watched as Tommy walked into the room with a similar air around him to when Grace was killed. Anna recalled how close they had become following the tragedy and how different things were now.

"John is dead. Esme's gone on the road with the Lees." She stared at him in disgust as he looked to her before explaining "Michael is badly wounded." Which earned an eye roll from Anna. She felt Isiah's hand rub her back comfortingly as she fought back the urge to cry.

The rest of the meeting was bullshit, Tommy speaking without emotion, Anna longing to be with Michael, overly aware that should anything happen, she wouldn't find out about it until it was too late. He could've fucking died while she'd been stood here listening to her cousin tell her what she already knew.

Anger boiled inside Anna at the thought that her husband was close to death and she had been dragged out to listen to the family bickering. Without saying a word, she headed for the door. The room fell silent upon noticing her departure, allowing the footsteps racing after her to become very apparent.

"Anna." Tommy's voice attempted to be soft but Anna's brain immediately glazed over it with pure hate.

"What." She spat, turning on her heels once he had caught up with her.

"I need you here, your opinion is important in this."

"Oh you need me here, do you? Why? Have you got four fresh bullet wounds? Are you lying in a hospital bed not knowing whether you're going to live or not?" Tommy bowed his head in defeat, finally speechless for once in his life.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"Oh you're sorry? How is it that I always have to clean up your fucking mess? Your wife got shot so you shot someone who's now shot my husband. How the fuck does that make sense?" Again, Tommy had no response. She was right, it doesn't make sense. But Tommy being Tommy, he doesn't  have the emotional capacity to summon up a response she would be satisfied with.

"I know, neither John or Michael deserved this, it should've been me, I know that. But for me to make it right, you need to let me. Go be with him but I need you to promise me you'll stay safe and by that I mean in small heath under Peaky protection."

"Okay, I know."

"No, Anna. I need you to promise."

"Alright, I fucking promise."

"Good. I'll get someone to take you back to the hospital."

*

Anna was met with silent stares from everyone she passed in the hospital. She took this as a good sign, had something have happened, surely they would be rushing to tell her. As she approached the doors to his grand room, she was happy to see one of the Peaky men stationed outside the room as instructed. She offered him a weak smile as he opened the door for her. Several people rushed around Michael's room but only one was tending to Michael, replacing his bandages.

"Mrs Gray." One woman greeted her upon noticing her arrival.

"Is someone else being put in here?" She looked in confusion as she noticed a second bed being placed close to Michael's.

"No, no. We've set this up for you, didn't want you going stiff from sleeping in the chairs."

Anna responded with the first genuine smile since Christmas morning. She felt content knowing she could stay with Michael at all hours and be there for everything that would happen.

"Thank you." She moved back over to her husband as most of the nurses left the room, leaving only one who was tending to him. Anna sat gently at the edge of his bed, reaching for his hand once again. The warmth of his skin settled her more than anything else could.

"He's going to wake up, Mrs Gray." The young girl finishing his bandages told her.

"I really need him to."