ANARCHY ONE

Apologies for the delay in this one!

Chapter 7 - Same Blood.

The lift doors pinged open at the end of the long corridor. Charlie barely noticed it at first, until footsteps approached quickly, uneven yet familiar. Tightening his jaw, Charlie saw the blurred figure come more into focus. It was Duke. It looked like he’d come straight from outside, coat half open, hair damp from the light rain, and expression already tense before he’d even reached the doors to ICU. Spotting Charlie, his breath hitched a little too loudly and he stopped a few metres away from him.

Silence was broken by the doors crashing open and a chaotic rush of medical staff trying to get Tommy to theatre. “Wait..” Duke called out as he neared Charlie. “That’s my Dad!” He yelled only to be nudged by Charlie. “Our Dad..” He corrected with a frown. Duke shrugged his brother off and heaved a sigh before a Doctor came to speak with them both. “Your Father is bleeding internally. They are taking him back to surgery to fix it. We will update you when we can.” He told the pair. “You were supposed to have done that last night!” Duke erupted, clearly his Fathers son. Charlie inhaled sharply and offered a hand on Duke’s shoulder lightly. “Just let them do their job yeah? These things can happen..” He sighed, his tone more quieter and calming, just like Grace. Duke rubbed a hand over his mouth before speaking again. “You were in with him?” He questioned. “Yes..” Charlie nodded. “How bad was it?” Charlie held his gaze on Duke as he asked. “Bad enough” He replied bluntly.

For a moment, neither of them spoke again. Just the distant sounds of the hospital around them filling the silence. Machines, Footsteps and muted voices. Finally, Duke spoke again. “He asked me to shoot him.” He said lowering his head. Charlie swallowed thickly, his gaze now on Duke, a small reaction, but real. “Already shot twice, and asked me to shoot him, finish the job. When I did get to him..” He paused. “He said to put him down like a fuckin’ horse. He almost looked relieved, kinda like he was tired of fighting” Duke relived that moment in the blink of an eye and turned his head away sharply. A humorous laugh left Charlie. “Of course he did, the mad bastard..” Charlie’s eyes flicked down the corridor where they’d taken their father through a set of double doors whilst Duke studied him briefly. “You don’t sound surprised.” He frowned and Charlie shrugged once. “I know who he is.”

Duke leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest whilst Charlie sat down on a chair. “So, you’re in the army?” Duke asked. “What gave it away? The regimental hoodie or because you’d think I'd follow in his footsteps?” Charlie sat back earning a frown from his brother. “Well, I didn’t know he used to be, but I guess it makes sense.” Duke admitted. “Why did you join the fucking army?” He continued. “Because I wanted out. I didn’t want the Shelby life everyone knew” Charlie spoke honestly. “That’s a funny way of getting out though, Charlie. I mean, could have become a Doctor or something..” He shrugged. “Let’s face it, you still ended up around men like him.” Duke jerked his head in the direction they’d taken their father. “Just in uniforms..”

“Why did you leave?” Duke asked, now sat on the floor despite there being chairs next to Charlie whose eyes stayed forward. “Because Mum wanted me to..” he replied quietly. “Is that it? Because she wanted you to?” Duke scoffed. “No.. Not exactly..” Charlie clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. “Because, if I came back..” He paused and set his elbows on his knee’s and head in his hands. “If I came back I knew I wouldn’t leave again..” He admitted earning a quick look up from Duke, understanding immediately because that was a curse in the Shelby family. “It was hard enough walking away at Arthurs funeral, then Ada’s..” Charlie uttered causing Duke to gasp quietly. “You were there?” “I was. From afar. Close enough to pay my respects, but far enough to be able to walk away again after” He admitted. “Auntie Ada was the only person I remained in touch with and some fucker took that from me!” Charlie spat angrily as he got up and kicked the wall, his inner Shelby surfacing. Duke widened his eyes and looked away guiltily when it dawned on him that Charlie didn’t know the true story behind their Auntie’s death.

Duke’s silence caused Charlie to look round to him. “What are you hiding?” He narrowed his eyes, approaching him quickly. Duke didn’t respond and looked the other way. Charlie crouched down to his level and glared at him. “Fucking tell me!” He hissed, cupping Duke’s chin between his finger and thumb. “Get the fuck off me!” Duke lashed. “Then tell me what you are hiding” Charlie’s voice kept low and somewhat intimidating. “He asked me to do it and I couldn’t. I couldn’t and wouldn’t do that to my kin..” Duke began. “Who is he?” Charlie stood upright again and took a step back. “Beckett. The same guy who shot Dad..” “Why the fuck would he shoot Auntie Ada?” Charlie was confused. “Be.. Because she was interfering with a deal between me and Beckett and reporting me to the coppers for looting at an arms dealers lock up that had been attacked by arsonists before a gas explosion got it” He said wiping away his tears. Charlie didn’t know if he was angry or sad right now. “She was interfering? What the fuck is wrong with you?” He shook his head. “It wasn’t supposed to end like this..” Duke sniffed. “You take after him. Don’t know where or how to stop. Even when loved ones get hurt, you just can’t stop” Charlie said truthly. Duke swallowed hard, riddled with guilt but remained silent.

In the meantime, I visited Tommys home that he had in Immortal Man.

My nephew loved dressing up for the photos! I’ll post more when I manage to get them sorted on the computer. For now, mobile pics.

Chapter six - You don't leave.

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He didn’t look like a Shelby, not at a first glance but those ocean orbs and sharp jaw was Tommy Shelby through and through. His lighter coloured hair and paler skin was Grace. The chaos of the world didn’t touch Charlie the same way anymore, or at least that is what it looked like.     The hospital moved the same way it always did. Busy and focused on survival. Charlie moved through the corridor without hesitation, boots steady against the floor and gaze ahead. People noticed him, not because they knew who he was, but because of the way he moved with purpose and certainty.  

As the lift doors opened, Charlie let the three people out first. He noticed they were crying and trying to support one another after being burdened with bad news, he assumed. His stomach tightened a little when he was taken up a couple of floors. The uncertainty of his father lingered and he wondered if he would be in that situation soon too.  

Once the doors opened, his jaw clenched tightly when the sign on the wall in front of him came into view. ICU. He followed the direction of the arrow and approached the doors. Charlie’s eyes were quickly drawn to a male who was stood opposite them as if he was waiting for someone.  

“Bloody-facking-hell..” Johnny Dogs spoke. “What?” Charlie Strong asked emerging from around the corner, then suddenly stopped when he saw him too. “Alright, son..” He gave a nod. “Sir..” Young Charlie broke the silence that lingered for longer than needed. It caused a small laugh from Johnny though. “He calls you sir now? Christ Tommy’d—” “Johnny” Charlie cut in lowly, silencing him. Both men were still looking at the boy, though he really wasn’t a boy anymore.  

“Where is he?” Young Charlie asked. “Through them doors, son. Press the intercom and tell them who you’re there to see. They’ll let you in. We were just leaving. He’s alive. Nurses were changing all the drips and stuff so we had to leave.” Charlie Strong informed him which gained a small nod of acknowledgement. “Don’t be a stranger, eh?” Johnny said as he saw young Charlie head to the intercom and pressed it. He glanced to Johnny and just gave a brief nod to him. He was a stranger. Always was that stranger since he’d been kept away from the world his name normally followed.  

The nurse let him in and took him over to the bay where his Father lay. Still sedated. Still not breathing on his own. Still not in control.  

“He’s had a stable twenty four hours up here.” Charlie was informed on the short walk. “Here we are..” She added stepping into where Tommy was. “Thank you.” He responded. She lingered for a moment in case Charlie had any questions, then left, pulling the sliding glass door across slowly.  

  The place was quieter and smaller than he expected. Nothing like the world his Father lived in. No real noise, no control, no movement. Just the machines which his eyes took in every detail. This wasn’t the man he remembered. Not the man that stayed straight, spoke low, and made rooms fall silent. This was something else. Breakable perhaps. Approaching the bed slowly, his jaw tightened again. Charlie stood at the side, looking down at his Fathers sleeping state. “Right..” He breathed out taking in the details that mattered. The stillness, pale skin, and bruises. “You always said if it came to this” Charlie paused. “You’d see it coming” his gaze fixed back onto his face. “Guess you didn’t, eh?” His words hung. Not cruel, or kind. Just honest.     He stood with his hands clasped loosely behind his back, at ease, but not relaxed. “I got the message late. It didn’t come through until late.” He admitted and stepped a little closer, close enough to close that distance that had existed for years, then sat down on the chair. “You don’t get to die like this” his voice was low. “You don’t get to disappear and leave it behind” Charlies eyes hardened a little. “You don’t get to leave him with it, or me.” He swallowed as silence fell. “I stayed out of it, like she wanted. Did everything right, like she wanted.” He spoke after a moment. “Didn’t come looking for you or ask questions.” Charlie’s voice still remaining low, but not weak, just personal. “A..and then I get a message to say you’ve been injured and might not wake up” he bit his lower lip quickly, eyes filling a little. “This.. This is not how it works.”  

His hand slowly reached out to take Tommy’s, minding the cannula in the back of it, and tubing that fed the fluids in. “I am not done..” He frowned, the tears subsiding again. “Neither are you, Dad..” He gave his hand a squeeze then got to his feet. “Don’t make me come back for nothing.”  

Charlie walked towards the door and placed his hand on the handle to slide it open when he was interrupted by a sound that was different and wrong. It wasn’t a sound that was like the steady rhythm just moments ago, nor was it the controlled mechanical breathing. A sharp uneven stutter cut through the room. The monitor was spiking and Charlie froze before hurrying back over to the bedside.     The screen flickered, numbers shifting too quickly, then alarms began to bleed into the silence followed by a warning tone. Something was wrong.     “No..” Charlie choked a little. Tommy’s chest moved too fast and shallow, and the machine struggled to match him. “Oi. Sort it.. Sort it out, come on.” He said sharply, as if he was giving some sort of order, but this wasn’t something he could control. The door suddenly slid open and nurses filled the room quickly. “Please step back, love” one spoke as they surrounded Tommy’s bed. “What happened?” one of the nurse asked another. Charlie stepped back towards the corner. “His heartrate is irregular, and he is fighting the vent.” He heard the conversation between the nurses. “Get the Doctor, now.”  

“Sir, you need to step outside” Charlie didn’t hear it properly. He was just staring at Tommy. Hands were moving fast over Tommy, checking, adjusting and fixing. “Tommy? Can you hear me?” One of the nurses said, his voice sharp but controlled. “The sedation isn’t holding and his blood pressure is dropping.” The doctor informed now on scene and took the white sheet down that was covering Tommy. He checked the dressing across his abdomen, followed by the drains in either side. One of the thin clear tubes had a slow dark line sliding down it, filling a container up that hung on the side of the bed. The container was filling slowly, the colour deepening, thick red. “Page the surgical team and clamp that drain.” The doctor called out. “And he’ll need more blood.” he added.  

A nurse approached Charlie and set her hand on his upper arm. “Sir, you need to wait outside. Someone will come and update you when they can.” She said gently, snapping him out of the zone he was in. He’d seen injuries before, men bleeding before in places where no one was coming to save them. But this wasn’t the same. This was his Father.  

Giving a small nod, he took a last glanced at his Father “you don’t get to check out like this..” He uttered and left the room with the sound of the alarms ringing in his ears and the image of the blood draining. 

_____

Chapter five - She walked away.

The hospital smelled the same. Too clean. Although chaotic in its own way, it was too quiet and detached from the life Tommy Shelby had built for himself.  

Lizzie stood at the entrance of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Her stomach churned at the reminder of Ruby being brought here and Tommy not wanting to let go of her. The last time she stepped foot in this hospital was to say goodbye to her daughter. Lizzie made her way through the clinical corridors, not asking herself if she should be here, she already knew the answer.     Six years since she had walked away from him, taken Charlie, and put distance between her stepson and everything that came with the Shelby name, yet a phone call is all it took.   

Tommy Shelby. He is in a critical condition, but stable. He’s sedated and on a ventilator.   It was always going to be something like that.  

Her heels echoed lightly in the too quiet intensive care unit as she was taken to the bay Tommy was in. The place was calm and quiet compared to the normal life Tommy lived. With the nurse leaving, Lizzie approached his bed and just stood at the edge, her arms folding across her chest like she was holding herself together rather than keeping distance.  

A soft sigh fell from her parted lips before she spoke with an almost whisper. “You look worse.” Of course, there was no answer. Just the machines. Her gaze moved over the tubes, the ventilator, and the stillness. This wasn’t the man she left, but it was a consequence of him. “You didn’t change, did you hm?” She murmured. “Not really.” After a pause she sat down on the chair. “I knew you wouldn’t.”   

Lizzie swallowed the small lump in her throat as she watched the machine breathing for him. Tommy never needed anyone, or anything to breathe for him, and now he did. He looked smaller, not physically, but everything else about him. The presence, the weight, the control had been stripped away and replaced by tubes, wires, dressings and the machine making his chest rise and fall like it owned him. Her fingers hovered over his hand slightly and then pulled back into her palm.  

Six years. 

Six fucking years since she last been this close to him, had chosen to leave him, and now here he was, not calling her back, not asking, just pulling her in anyway.     Finally her hand reached out to his, her fingers brushing against it softly before settling around it. “They told me you were critical” she said. “Didn’t say you’d look like this though.” Her thumb unconsciously moved against his skin. “I moved on, Tommy. I had to and you know that.” She said sadly, her eyes drifting down to where their hands met. “You’ve got another son too. Remember? He’s not a boy anymore. He’s nearly nineteen, joined the Army. Taken after you eh? You’d hate that” a faint breath left her, almost a ghost of a laugh, but not quite. “Or maybe you wouldn’t.” She shook her head slightly “no you would.” Lizzie knew that Tommy would hate Charlie being in the Army after what it did to him. He’d never wish the trauma on anyone, never mind his kin.  

“You don’t get to drag him back into this, Tommy” Lizzie said firmly. “You hear me? It’s not fair. I kept him out of all of it. Everything you built, everything you are, he doesn’t get that.” She looked back to him and swallowed thickly. “So don’t you wake up and ruin that” her words a little softer. Lizzie had done what she did with good intentions. “But..” She paused “I have notified him and it is up to him if he comes and visits you. He is an adult who can make decisions himself.”    Lizzie leaned in slightly “you don’t live the way you did and get an ending that makes sense” her words lingered before she continued, “but you’re still here” she straightened herself up slightly. “If you wake up, when you wake up” she held it for a moment, “don’t expect anything to be the same.” 

Getting to her feet she inhaled sharply. “Don’t die..” she uttered placing her bag onto her shoulder. “And don’t make me regret coming here.” her words were simple, but blunt. Giving him one last glance, she sighed and made her way out leaving him with the machines, the silence and everything unsaid and yet somewhere beneath it all, still fighting.  

_____

I’m a huge sucker for sick fics so writing this one is perfect!

Chapter four - Not done with you.

Another short chapter. They needed to be separate and hopefully you can see why!

Thank you for the responses to this so far! 🥰

———

The door didn’t open straight away. It shifted slow and careful as if whoever was there shouldn’t have been there at all. A figure carefully slipped through and slid the door back across to shut it again.

Kaulo just stood there, her back against the door taking in the view from a distance. With all the family gone for the night, she felt safe to make her way forward towards Tommy’s bed, her footsteps soft. She stopped and just looked at him. The flashbacks of them in bed together hit her every time she blinked.

“Thomas..” She whispered looking over him at every detail, every weakness, every proof that he wasn’t untouchable. A short breath left her lips before she spoke again. “You wanted peace, Thomas..” She paused. “Was it really what you wanted, or was you just wanting someone to be able to stop you?” The question lingered for a moment.

She was supposed to guide him toward the peace he desired. Not this fight, not the pain, not the long brutal road back to a life that had already taken so much for him, and yet she had seen him there, not the broken body, not the man on the edge, but the one who had stepped back from the door and said no, not today. The one who chose more.

It was all in place. She was ready to give him peace. Wanted to for him yet this sudden refusal, fight and uncertain survival wasn’t peace. It was selfish and it was human. It was everything she wasn’t supposed to want. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Stay then, stay and fight it..” She whispered. “Because I think I want you to win..” Kaulo let the silence in as she took a moment.

“You and I both know the world isn’t done with you yet." She sat on the chair Finn had resided in a little while ago. “You get your peace now, in a fucking hospital, in a fucking coma. You get your peace.”

Kaulo’s hand settled on his arm softly. It was still warm, a good sign. “They think you’re gone. Rumours spreading like wildfire.” Her voice kept low, just audible over the beeping. “Not dead. Not yet.” She added and slowly managed to take hold of his hand, turning it over to trace her finger along his lifelines. “Guess this is another thing you can prove wrong to them, no? Because if you can’t prove them wrong, then what is the fucking point in all of this?” She gestured her hand as if he could see what she was doing.

Turning his hand back over, she let it settle on the bed before retracting her own hands. Her head tilted to the side taking in the sight once more. “You don’t get to disappear. Not without finishing off what you started.”

Kaulo slowly got to her feet being careful not to let the legs of the chair drag across the floor when she did.

After stepping aside, her footsteps were quiet as she made her way to the door meeting the nurse who was coming in to replace some of the empty fluid and blood bags. “Goodnight, Mrs Shelby.” The nurse smiled. Her words threw Kaulo quickly and she froze. “Oh, he is not my husband. He’s my nephew’s father.” She whispered.

Chapter three - The ones he left behind.

The machines breathed for him, a soft mechanical rhythm filling the room on the intensive care unit. Air pushed in, air pulled back out, over and over again like a promise his body hadn’t made for itself.

Tommy laid still beneath the white sheets which matched the colour of his face, long dark eyelashes lightly settled on his upper cheeks. The violence that had torn through him had reduced to dressings, drains, tubes and numbers glowing on the monitors. A ventilator tube sat between his lips, fixed in place. Lines ran from his arms, feeding medication, fluids and blood into his veins, keeping him alive, for now. The rise and fall of his chest wasn’t even his own. It was the work of the ventilator.

Quiet nervous breaths sounded from Duke as he stood just inside the doorway. He hadn’t spoken or moved yet since his arrival. “Take your time.” The nurse said tenderly to him, then stepped out letting the glass door close behind her.

Duke stepped forward slowly until he was close enough to see his Father. He was no longer the man from the street, the man giving orders, the man who had asked Duke to pull the trigger, just this still, broken form that was alive, but only just. Duke let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. “You look like fuckin’ shit..” He muttered before shaking his head slightly. It came out rough, a half laugh. His eyes burned and he tried to blink quickly not wanting the tears to shed. Not here, not now.

His warm hand hesitated a few times and eventually settled on Tommy’s arm, the only part that was free of any medical equipment. “You don’t get to do that again..” Duke’s voice was a whisper. “You hear me?” he added. Of course, there was no response from Tommy, just the steady beeping of the monitor. Swallowing thickly, his gaze shifted to the machine doing all the breathing for his Father.

“I didn’t..” He paused looking back to Tommy again. “I wasn’t gonna do it. You asked me to, a..and I couldn’t” He sniffed quickly and closed his eyes for a brief second recalling the moment Tommy had begged him to pull the trigger. “You said.. You said no horses, so don’t act like one..” He murmured. “No horses.. Something, something changed your mind in a split moment..” He added. Duke had hoped for something. Tommy was always answering back, giving orders etc just to prove a point, but there was nothing except for the monitors beeping and the machine that kept breathing. “I’ll.. I’ll be back..” His voice remained a whisper before he turned, inhaled deeply and headed out before he could change his mind.

Time passed.

Hours, minutes, seconds, all the same under the artificial lights.

Charlie Strong and Johnny Dogs had come and gone too. Charlie spoke to him, voice low and looks heavy. Johnny lingered longer than expected but remained quiet for once. He was unable to see passed all the medical equipment that was currently keeping his best friend alive.

Then they left.

The only sounds now were the machines working hard to keep him alive.

“Where is.. Where is me brother? I’m looking for me Brother, Tommy Shelby..” A younger male stood at the reception desk of the hospital before being directed to the intensive care unit. He buzzed the intercom and spoke through it before being allowed in.

Finn hadn’t seen Tommy for over six years after being banished from the Shelby family. He resented Duke for that more than anyone. It was his first time back in Birmingham since then.

“Here we are, love..” A nurse spoke tenderly, leading the young man into where Tommy lay before leaving again. Finn took a sharp breath before he swallowed thickly and approached his brother carefully, as if he was as fragile as glass.

“Fuckin’ hell, Tommy..” Finn heaved a little, his own face paling at the sight. He hated hospitals, blood and gore. Breathing deeply through his nose, Finn set his hand on Tommy’s arm, where Duke had done so previously. “Uncle Charlie called me. Told me.. Told me what happened..” his voice remained low, but he struggled with the one sided conversation and fell silent just watching on, letting time tick away, each minute was a step forward in Tommy’s recovery. He’d been told that the next 48 hours would be critical for his brother.

Chapter two - Knocking, not entering.

Hands were forced onto Tommy’s shoulders, grounding him in a world he kept trying to slip away from. “Tommy? You’re gonna need to stay still..” a voice echoed through his ears. The oxygen had been turned up and was flooding through the mask, it was too much. Too artificial. Just wrong.     “BP is dropping, I’m going to get some more fluids going..” the voice was still echoing.     Long black lashes tickled against his skin before his eyes slowly opened. Everything was too bright now and so he let the darkness consume him once more whilst distant whines of the siren droned on, and on, and on...     Then there was silence..     Short lived.     'Adult trauma call – five minutes’   Male – 50 – 2x gsw – abdo.     The place erupted into organised chaos as soon as the paramedics brought the trolley in, bursting through like a storm. Doctors, nurses, anaesthetists all knew their place. After being transferred across onto the awaiting bed, it was all hands on deck whilst the paramedic concluded the handover to the senior doctor.     Hands were all over him, stripping his lower attire, lifting, tugging, sticking things to him, no modesty, just urgency. His blood-soaked shirt was cut off completely and peeled away from his skin.     “Alright, let’s get a wide bore line in..” A voice of authority called out before a sharp scratch came to Tommy’s arm causing a slight furrow in his brows. A cold rushed through his veins like ice water, he jerked a little in response.     “Tommy? Can you hear me? Thomas? You’re in the hospital..”     Calling his name, always calling his fucking name.     Lips parted beneath the oxygen mask, but no words came out.     “Abdomens rigid..” A broken sound dragged itself out of him before he could stop it, in response to the gentle presses on his abdomen. Further presses followed when the probe of an ultrasound was applied, the cold gel soothing the heat he had felt rising through him. “Free fluid...” A pause “Abdomen is full of blood. Get on to the surgical team asap!”  

“Excuse me? You cannot be in here..” The voice of authority again. “That’s me fookin’ Dad!” Duke tried to manoeuvre through the doctors but was halted. The word cut through everything. Dad. Tommy tried to move his hand up to remove the oxygen mask, needing to be in control. In control of Duke, control of everything, but it was soon banished when hands took his away.     “Please, you need to step outside. Someone will come and speak to you shortly..” A softer voice tried to calm the chaos whilst their caring hand settled on the Shelby sons arm. “You can’t just take ‘im..” Duke called out as he was ushered back out where Johnny Dogs and Uncle Charlie were now stood waiting.     “Tommy?” Another voice. This one louder but softer again. Eyes flickered but failed to open. It was too bright. He tried again and succeeded, squinting just a little. “You understand what’s happened? You’re bleeding internally. We’re going to take you down to theatre, alright?” Tommy didn’t need to be told twice what had happened, he fucking felt it. A slight nod of confirmation was seen.      “Let’s get going..” A sudden jolt from the bed as the breaks were removed, then Tommy’s ocean orbs were staring up at the clinical lights one by one as he was wheeled towards the operating theatres.     “Dad!” Duke shouted and ran up to the side of the trolley that was still moving. “Sir, we cannot be wasting time here, he needs to go now..” A Doctor said firmly. Tommy’s eyes found Duke, just. There was a lot he could say, orders, instructions, warnings, but nothing came.     “No.. No ‘orses..” Tommy rasped.     His words didn't make sense, not right away.     Duke was pushed aside and the medical staff proceeded down the corridor with Tommy leaving him to fall against the wall inhaling sharply.     A quiet sob sounded as Duke brought his hand up to his mouth when the doors to the theatre shut. Blood still streaked his hands, now smeared over his face too. Across from him, a humming brought him back into the present. Humming of everything and everyone else carrying on around him. Machines sounding, voices of Doctors, Nurses, patients, relatives, security whilst all walking about.     “You should wash your hands, lad..” A low steady voice sounded nearby but Duke didn’t turn. “I’m fine..” He responded, staring ahead through blurred eyes. Footsteps grew louder, approaching him. It was Charlie Strong. He stopped beside him, not touching him, just there. “That aint your blood to keep son..” Charlie gestured to the blood stained attire as if Duke didn’t know it was already there. Of course he knew, he’d felt it on his fingertips too. Saw it, it was a massacre. “Feels like it..” Duke heaved a sigh.  

Across the corridor, Johnny Dogs was pacing like a caged animal, boots scuffing on the floor, muttering words under his breath. “I should have seen it coming. We were all too busy thinking it’d be all done on the boat..” he paused as Uncle Charlie interrupted him. “Johnny..” He sighed. Johnny stopped and didn’t argue, just ran his hand over his face and proceeded to pace again.     Eyes dragged up to the theatre doors and then back down again. “What if he dies?” Duke broke the silence, the question landing heavy. Afterall, it was what Tommy wanted, wasn’t it?     Bright surgical lights flooded the operating theatre, and gloved hands moved with precision. Controlled and delicate. “Two entry wounds confirmed, no exit.” The team were informed by the lead surgeon, his voice calm and focused. This was the line between life and death.     His blood pressure was not stabilising and so more blood was given whilst metal instruments clinked softly, and machines beeped in uneven rhythms. Tommy’s life was in their hands. He was losing blood quicker than it was going into him. “Come on..” The surgeon uttered, blood being cleared again so the workspace was visible once more.     Uncle Charlie had finally sat down beside Duke on something more comfortable than the tiled floor. Johnny Dogs was still pacing, reliving the moment he discovered Tommy, repeatedly like it was stuck in a loop.  

“He asked me to shoot him..” Duke confessed catching Johnny Dogs’ attention quickly, but silence fell for a moment. Uncle Charlie inhaled sharply and nodded gently. “Yeah, that’s Tommy for you..” Anger washed over Duke when Charlie didn’t even seem surprised. “You’re not surprised?” He questioned. “I’ve known that lad a long time. A lot longer than most. When he feels he is losing control, it is what he does. He would rather end it himself than let the world do it for him.”     Johnny Dogs knew first hand too. He’d heard and seen Tommy in those states. That moment where he’s holding a fucking gun to his head or standing on the top of a bridge ready to leap off somewhere far fucking better than where his mind had him.     “I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t” Duke admitted. “Good!” Johnny Dogs almost cheered before he was knocked down with a look from Duke. “What? If he wanted to die, he would have done it long ago, ten-fucking-times over! The man is too stubborn for death. He is far from ready for that.”  

“He said something to me, before they took him..” Duke understood Tommy’s words more now.     “Yeah? What’de say?” Johnny asked, intrigued. Charlie frowned curiously.     Duke swallowed thickly “No horses..”  

It went straight over Johnny’s head but Charlie, he understood. It was noticeable in the way his expression shifted.     “What the feck does that mean?”     “It means, he is still fighting, Johnny..” Charlie confirmed. “If Tommy’s gonna die, it would be on his own hand.” he admitted quietly. “No one else's.” There was a moment of silence as both Johnny and Duke looked at Charlie. “What? You think he’d allow some scum to do half a job and expect one of us to finish him off?” He added.     This was Tommy Shelby and everything was on his terms. If he wanted to die it’d be at his own hand, on his own accord, not some bastard named John Beckett.  

The atmosphere in the operating theatre remained tense as hands worked. Blood was welling faster than it could be cleared, machines beeped louder and faster. “Damn it! Come on. Don’t do this..” The surgeon heaved. “BP is still dropping..”     He was slipping.     Silence -  

It was too quiet.     Too dark, but no pain.     Thin warm light beamed from a door that was ajar and Tommy approached it slowly, his footsteps light as if the ground didn’t feel like it was beneath him. It felt familiar but in a way that didn’t really make much sense.  

The light was inviting, comforting.     Peace was just through it, he knew it.  

No more ghosts,  No more fucking fighting,   No weight,  No decisions.     Tommy’s jaw tightened sharply.  

His hand reached out to grab the handle that was partially lit from the light that was on the other side shining through, but he paused abruptly.  

“...Sounds too fucking boring” 

“Charging, stand clear!” A shock was sent through Tommy’s body. “Let’s charge again. Come on, Thomas. Clear!” Another shock.  

All a sudden the door seemed to be moving further away from Tommy, and the light was fading but not fully. It was still there, patiently waiting.  It would always be waiting.     He took a step back, then another, warmth fading and pain creeping back in around the edges sharply. This was real. He was alive.     “Not today..”  

SPOILERS FROM IMMORTAL MAN FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED * * * * * * *

Set in present day in the warehouse. The aftermath Beckett has shot Tommy in the abdomen and he's shot Beckett in the head. Duke has tackled him out of the way of the car ploughing towards Tommy who is welcoming it.

Will Tommy survive? He doesn't want to, but Duke has other ideas and Kaulo wants more of him too.

Having watched Immortal Man at the Premiere in Birmingham on 2nd March 2025, it has been sooooo hard to not talk about it, but I did it! Whilst it was so damn heart breaking, Tommy got what he wanted; peace at last.

When it finally came out, it was good to talk with people about it and their thoughts.

I am happy to have begun this fic which I hope to continue until I am out of ideas.

It is set in modern day where Tommy's survival chances are greater - Kaulo just can't keep herself away from Tommy either.

I am not medically trained so there will likely be medical inaccuracies, so apologies! _______ Chapter One - Knocking on Heavens door. The first thing he noticed was the silence.  

Not peace. Not quiet. Just… absence. 

Like the world had stepped back and was waiting. 

Tommy Shelby had known gunshots his whole life. The crack, the echo, the aftermath. He’d heard them in alleys, in fields, in rooms filled with men who thought they were kings. 

But this one.. 

This one didn’t sound like anything at all. 

Just two dull thuds somewhere deep inside him. 

He looked down. 

Blood. 

Of course. 

Dark, spreading fast through his shirt, blooming like ink in water. It didn’t shock him. Nothing did anymore. Not bullets. Not betrayal. Not death. 

Funny thing, getting shot. People always imagined pain. Screaming. Chaos. But it wasn’t like that. Not for him. 

It was distant. 

Like it was happening to someone else. 

A ringing started in his ears. Low at first, then louder, swallowing everything. The world blurred at the edges. Mouths were opening, shouting something he couldn’t hear.  

Orders, probably. 

There were always orders.    Tommy tried to speak. Tried to say something clever. Something final. But his lips barely parted, and whatever words he had left stayed trapped somewhere between his lungs and his pride, for now.  

“Dad!” Duke called catching his father before he hit the floor. He hadn’t realised he’d been shot at first, not until he felt the warm liquid between his fingers. “Fuck..” He whispered getting to his knees carefully, Tommy lowering down also.     “I am a horse..” The words heaved out of Tommy’s mouth as he clung onto his Son. “Someone call a fuckin’ ambulance!” Screams of pleads echoed the cold building. Johnny Dogs was the first to skid across the floor beside his best friend who was currently being cradled by Duke. “Jo-Johnny call a fuckin-” “Am doin’ it now son.. Am doin’ it..” Johnny interrupted Duke’s choked words as he pulled his old brick phone out and dialled 999.     “Mm.. S’no point..” Tommy croaked, his lips parting only slightly when he tried to speak, speckles of crimson splattering onto them as he did. “No.. No.. Don’t talk. Just.. Just don’t talk..” Duke begged him. He didn’t want him to talk, but didn’t want the silence from him either. “C’mon.. Do it. You’d do it fora ‘orse..” Tommy uttered, the metallic taste becoming more noticeable on his tongue now. “No. I can’t..” Duke sobbed into his Father. “Yes you can. You can. That bullet has me name on it. You can do it..” Tommy spoke huskily, his eyes becoming slow blinks.     Further people including Uncle Charlie, Curly, and Stagg hurried in with their guns ready to protect, but they were too late. Charlie hushed Curly who had become panicky seeing the man he knew as his King, in Duke’s arms on the floor bleeding out. Stagg ran over to the car that had crashed into the wall, gun in hand, just to make sure the piece of shit that had caused all of this was well and truly in hell.     Blue lights lit up the darkened building as they shone through the windows at the top. “S’gonna be a’right, Dad. S’gonna be a’right. The ambulance is here now..” Duke spoke quietly, clinging onto Tommy still who was barely conscious by this point.  

  “That bright light, Tommy, that’s the one you reach out for. Come, come take my hand. It’s time to go. She’s waiting for you too. 

 Ruby.  

She is here.  

Polly has taken great care of her and I have heard so many stories.    ..Take my hand and be free.”  

  Grunts and groans sounded as his legs slowly kicked, pushing ‘something’ or ‘someone’ away.    

The door was pulled open by Johnny Dogs to allow the medics in. “He’s over there..” He spoke pointing out the obvious crowd surrounding Duke and Tommy. Giving a nod, the two medics hurried over to them with their kits in tow. “The fack do you want?” Johnny whispered still at the door. He’d caught Kaulo stood beside the ambulance, the blue lights creating a darkened figure. “You gonna just stand there eh? Not show your nephew some support? He’s been shot y’know? Tommy has..” Johnny was going off on one, not his normal way though. He was panicking. He was worried. Worried he was about to lose his best friend.     “What do you expect me to do, hm? Perform some gypsy fuckin’ magic and make him better?” Kaulo spoke coldly. “The paramedics are in there, doing what they need to do.” She added. Johnny scoffed and shook his head. “Not to your nephew they’re not!” He hissed and walked off back to where the gathered crowd were.  

“Alright, lay him down gently. We will do what we can..” One of the paramedics told Duke who took a moment before he carefully set his Father on the floor properly before moving back, creating a smearing of blood as he did. He hadn’t realised how much blood Tommy had lost until he saw it on the floor and all over himself. “C’m’ere..” Uncle Charlie spoke opening his arm out to Duke but he was quickly shrugged off, clearly trying to deal with it alone, which he didn’t need to.     Tommy was instantly placed on oxygen and his shirt cut open to reveal the two gunshot wounds on his lower abdomen. Immediate pressure was placed onto them causing a subtle groan from Tommy however, his head was turned so that the blood collecting in his mouth could flow out. Suction was also used to clear his airway before the oxygen mask was placed back onto him.     The waiting around and watching on was unnerving for everyone. There was silence apart from the sounds of the two paramedics that were working hard. Packing the wounds, setting up an IV line into Tommy’s vein so fluids could be pushed in. “Can one of you hold this up please?” A medic asked to which, Johnny volunteered to do so. Even now, remaining loyal to Tommy.     With Johnny now the makeshift drip stand holding up a bag of saline, further medication was administered including pain relief and tranexamic acid to help reduce the bleeding. There wasn’t a lot the paramedics could do outside of an operating theatre however, they had done everything possible. It was down to Tommy to remain the fighter he was for the journey to the hospital.     Once transferred to the ambulance, he was blue-lighted to the major trauma centre at Birminghams Queen Elizabeth Hospital, leaving the rest stood in utter shock, wishing the whole thing was a fucking dream.  

______

There we have the first chapter - it's kind of just setting the scene in a modern world (Fontaines D.C. ref iykyk)

I’m not sure if he did! He certainly knew the genuine fans to those wanting autographs for resale. People were shouting and calling and just holding stuff out to be signed, like taking it for granted he’d sign it?

Another drawing complete!

It could be completely wrong, but just from my observations and nerdy head…

Picture one is from the teaser.

Two is the spitfire factory that was in Castle Bromwich in Birmingham. (Now known as the Jaguar car factory).

It was bombed in August 1940.

Three is the factory from above.

Note the shape of the roof..