Cross my heart - Tommy Shelby

•12•

Warnings: swearing, injuries

"Alright home-time everyone, you are dismissed."

There was a scrape of stools on hardwood floor and the patter of children's feet as they all attempted to leave the classroom.

Once they had all left, Eliza began to pick up the sand trays that had been left on each child's desk for writing practice.

She found the idea to be useful, it cut back on costs and waste with the littluns- but personally Eliza hated sand. It was corse and rough and it got everywhere. She swore she'd find sand in her socks or shoes months after using the sand trays.

"Aunt Liza?"

She looked towards the doorway where Katie and Eddie were stood, book bags slung over their shoulders.

Eliza smiled, "Give me five minutes and I'll be ready to go- I just need to tidy these trays away quickly." She pointed to where their younger brother sat on the front desk that belonged to her, "why don't you help your brother pack his things away?"

Placing the trays on a desk closest to the supply cupboard, she put the rickety closet stool on the floor.

Eliza clambered up onto the stool, it wobbled out precariously as it struggled to maintain the weight that had been placed on it.

She reached down for the trays and put the small pile on a shelf.

Well she tried to.

Even with the stool, Eliza was too short. She tried to stretch a tiny bit further to no avail.

She tried one last time, as she went onto the tips of her toes.

And then her knee buckled and she fell onto the floor with a crash.

The three Shelby children immediately ran over to the woman on the floor, who was clutching at her leg in pain.

Each of them started asking numerous different questions at the rate of a mile a minute.

It caused Eliza's already pain dazed thoughts to become even more muddled.

It took her a moment to realise that Eddie had run off to find his Father or one of his uncles.

Katie just stroked the older woman's hair comfortingly, something she had seen Aunt Polly do to Ada whenever she was upset or in pain.

And little Matthew just tucked himself into Eliza's middle section. He had a hand clamped around his exposed ear- the sudden loud noise must've set him off.

She tried to comfort the young child, who had retreated into her shirt. But the searing pain around her knee was front and centre and the first thing on her mind.

Eliza felt hurt and frustrated at herself, she knew that her left leg would probably always be weaker than her right, and probably be more prone to giving way.

A shattered knee cap would do that to a person- Eliza just wanted to be normal, independent and care free.

But instead she was weak and broken, she wanted to cry out of frustration but decided against it as she was in the midst of two children.

She just kept blinking away tears as the three of them waited for someone to come and help.

Her thoughts were broken when Eddie burst back into the room, a frantic Tommy Shelby trailing behind him.

As soon as she locked eyes with him, his whole stature changed to that of a dog, with its tail tucked between its legs in shame.

"Kids go home."