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𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣.

𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣 | 𝘈 𝘛𝘈𝘓𝘌 𝘖𝘍 𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘙𝘐𝘈𝘎𝘌 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘙𝘐𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘚

｡･:*:･ﾟ✧ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

ANNABEL LIKED THE QUIET MOMENTS THE BEST.

Before she left for Argentina, she had savoured them thoroughly. Those quiet moments when nothing but a single candle illuminated Tommy's room, the candlelight dancing across her lover's chest as they tasted each other's skin. Those moments where Tommy would lay on her chest and she would play with his hair after the comedown, where he could be heard muttering Poe's poem, Annabel Lee. Those early breakfasts they shared before the city of Birmingham arose from its slumber, the only people awake being its most dangerous man and powerful woman. Annabel Lee liked those quiet moments the best.

These quiet moments, where she sat anxiously, biting her bottom lip in all her angst, leg bouncing and bouncing as she waited to see if the love of her life had died in that lonely hospital corridor were moments she would not remember fondly.

She had exited the offices in haste, her emotions running wild and her frustration at her love running even wilder. She had tea with Polly, who had confided in her what troubled her.

"My children, Anna. My daughter. Dead and gone. And she never knew how much I longed for her, how I adored her, everyday."

However, they hadn't had time to grieve together because a copper working for the Peaky Blinders had come knocking on the door. Annabel had risen from where she and Polly sat and greeted him, only to be told that the love of her life was in emergency care, after having been almost beaten to death by Sabini's men, and no one knew of his current condition.

Annabel's knees had buckled under her, and were it not for Polly, who had come to see who the man at the door was, Annabel would've crumbled down on the floor as shock waves ran through her body. Desperation ran through her, and she didn't bother grabbing her coat before she exited the house and ran to the car, speeding with the low driving skills she possessed down the streets to the hospital, barely seeing through the hot tears that clouded her vision.

Tommy could die, and the last thing she had done was curse him out. Annabel realized the fragility of human life, specially life in the way Tommy led his. How anyone could take their last breath at any moment, and could be on bad terms with their loved ones, could have never accomplished their dreams, could have not made it to coffee the next morning. Life was so invaluable yet so fragile, prone to ending at the smallest of whims. She had known this, she had experienced it in Argentina for herself, but it was different when it came to Tommy. Everything was different when it came to Tommy.

"Mrs. Shelby?" Annabel's head snapped up and despite the young doctor's error she blushed at how easily she recognized herself in that title. She pushed away all thoughts of that subject aside for the moment, to be revisited at a later date. She had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Oh- I-" Annabel was unsure how to answer, but she decided to go with the most simple strategy. "Yes?"

"Mr. Shelby has left emergency care. You can see him now."

Annabel let out a sigh of relief she had been holding and tears came to her eyes as she looked at the young doctor in front of her. She nodded and let herself be lead by him to Tommy's room.

A nurse was waiting for her in front of Tommy's room and she smiled as she opened the door. "Ready for a visitor, Mr. Shelby?"

"No." Annabel could hear his raspy voice and a sigh of relief escaped her lips, proof he was alive.