Blackened Heart- Tommy Shelby

Rough Start

Olivia Heart was just about ready to take her lunch as she finished up her patient notes. As she stood at the bottom of the bed she rolled her neck, swapping her weight from one foot to another as she tried to ease the days stress from her body.

Knowing that in a few moments she could slip into the staff room and throw off her heels for a few minutes was all that was keeping her going.

"Olivia!" her colleague Lisa called as she rushed into the hospital wing, her eyes wild with excitement "We need you. There's a new patient coming in!"

Olivia rolled her eyes as she carried on with her notes "I'm about to go on break"

Lisa rushed to her side and gently pulled her back from the bed so that the patient couldn't hear "It's Thomas Shelby, he's on his way in and apparently it's bad"

Olivia turned to look at Lisa and knew straight away that this was one patient she could not pass up on. Who wouldn't want to get a look at the notorious gangster that was taking over the country?

----

As soon as Olivia's eye's landed on him she realised just how bad his condition was. Damp with sweat he was falling in and out of consciousness as they wheeled him to surgery. Checking his pulse she informed the doctor that it was threaded and his breathing was far to shallow. There was blood dripping from his left ear and they knew there was a head injury so they switched the plan.

They would work on his head first and see if he made it through the surgery. As the steel doors opened and she began to gown up, the staff rushing to her and the doctors she kept her eyes firmly on his body as she watched his breathing.

"Miss Heart I need you up here please" Mr Sailes, the surgeon in charge of Mr Shelby spoke up as he looked down at his patient.

Olivia rushed forward, her body full of adrenaline, to the side of her patient and she began to check his pulse as they put him under. As she looked down at her new patient she wondered if he was strong enough to survive his injuries that of what she could only describe as being hit by a train.

----

The first night was rough as she took over his care, being specifically chosen by the surgeon to get him through the first night. It wasn't what she wanted as she was already three shifts in but she had no choice so she sat by his side and watched.

The first hour he developed a fever which she responded to by upping his medication. Every hour after that she watched as his breathing would slow and then pick up again. Even with tired eyes she would not let him go out of her sights. It would be enough to kill her career if he died on her watch.

As she monitored him she realised he was nothing as previously described by people she knew. Mr Shelby was attractive, perfect sharp cheek bones, pink soft looking lips, alabaster skin and from what she saw beautiful blue eyes that would make the sea jealous.

It was interesting to her that the man everyone was so terrified of could look so beautiful and calm asleep.

After a few hours there was a rush of aggression from outside his private room and Olivia waited patiently for them to enter. A beautiful woman who introduced herself by the name of Polly Grey demanded to know every detail of his condition.

"Miss Grey I should get the doctor" she breathed as she watched his whole family slip into the room behind her.

"Love, you can tell me. Fuck the doctor" she said pointedly as she placed a bag at the bottom of Mr Shelby's bed.

Olivia sighed and knew that she could get in a lot of trouble for talking to the patients family first "Mr Shelby has suffered a serious head injury along with three cracked ribs, bruised airway and a bruised kidney"

The room suddenly fell silent and she watched as they all turned to look at the beautifully damaged man fighting for his life.

"What's his chances?" a man demanded from the corner, his handlebar mustache hiding his top lip as he spoke.

Olivia smiled gently before attending back to her patient, checking that none of his wires had come loose when his family had rushed the room.

"If he gets through the next few days we will know more"

"Fuckin' ell Tommy" Polly hissed as she took the seat that Olivia had pulled up for her.

Just being in the room with his family members she could sense the fear and love that they had to spill. It was surprising to her that a vicious gangster like Tommy Shelby had people in his life that loved him. Olivia was aware that she was judging a man she had never met but she had heard plenty of horror stories and surely some of them where true?

"Are we okay to stay?" a young woman with doe like eyes asked her.

"Of course, stay as long as you like" she replied as she took her seat in the corner of the room "I'll be here all night, to watch him, but please pretend I'm not here" she said as she began filling in her notes.

Mr Shelby's breathing output wasn't good and he was starting to sweat. If these symptoms didn't break by morning she was pretty certain his family would be organising his funeral.

"Ada did he say anything when he came to you?" Polly asked

Ada sighed and began to rub her face "I couldn't understand a word he was saying Pol, next thing I know he's falling into my arms"

Olivia was trying her hardest not to listen but she was finding it hard, after all the man in her care was practically a celebrity. After he day of looking after patients from surgery this was definitely a welcome distraction.

"Arthur, he must of said something to you?"

Olivia didn't hear what was said next as she looked up and saw a small red stain next to Tommy's ear. Jumping up she made Polly jump but she didn't have time to apologise. Using her hands to tilt his head she could see that the blood was fresh.

Rushing out the door she yelled down the corridor "Code 1!" once she came back into the room she found herself shouting at his family to stand back as she pulled the pillows from the back of Tommy's head and tilted his chin, holding him there.

"Miss Heart what's happening?" Mr Sailes, the surgeon abruptly demanded once he stepped into the room.

"There's blood coming from his ear-"

"That's just from the surgery" he snapped, forgetting their audience.

"It's fresh Mr Sailes and his pupils are dilating" she said back, desperately, as she looked at the surgeon to do something.

They didn't have much time and she couldn't deal with the surgeons fragile ego right now.

"Lets go" he mumbled as he pulled the locks off the bed wheels and Olivia began to push from the top. More nurses joined to help.

"Oi what's going on?" Arthur yelled after them.

"We're taking him back to surgery" Olivia called back  as she left the room.

"You better pray to that god of yours" Arthur mumbled as he looked to Polly.