𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃 ᵖᵉᵃᵏʸ ᵇˡⁱⁿᵈᵉʳˢ

64

"Come on, you're okay" Isaiah whispered, wiping the hair from her forehead. Lottie grew pale, her face sweaty.

"You need to stay here" The doctor stopped him as they took her into a room.

"I'm not leaving her alone," he argued. "Isaiah" Tommy walked through the hall. "Tommy" he whispered. "What's happened?" he asked the boy.

"I don't know" he stuttered, "something wrong though, they said it themselves, the doctors"

Tommy placed his fist to his lips, pacing the room.

"Ay" he called over a doctor. "What's up with my sister?" he asked. The doctor looked at him. "Nothing is up with your sister, Mr Shelby, but the child is at risk, we are doing the best we can" The doctor nodded.

Isaiah's breath hitches and Lizzie placed a hand on the boys shoulder.

Lottie lay in the bed, her body tired and limp. "We need you to do one more," The nurse urged.

"I can't.." she whispered. Isaiah barged in. "Sir you can't be in here" The nurse said. "Well i'm fucking staying, by order of the peaky blinders" he hissed. He grabbed Lottie's hand.

"Your all right" he said. "What's up with my fucking baby?" he asked. "The child is positioned the wrong way and if we don't get him out soon.." she trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"Come on, Lottie, we need you to push" Isaiah urged, placing a kiss on her forehead. She nodded and attempted as best she could.

"One more, just try" he whispered.

"We have him" The nurse said, "Why isn't he crying?" Lottie said in a panic. "Why isn't he crying?" she repeated.

The nurse wrapped him in a towel, walking away.

"Isaiah what's happened?"

Polly and Tommy came into the room. "He wasn't crying, Pol, what's going on"

Both Tommy and Polly's face dropped.
"Let me see my baby" Lottie shouted as another nurse entered the room. "Your baby is fine, we need to examine him, make sure nothing is wrong"

Lottie fell light headed, throwing her head back and closing her eyes.

"She needs rest" Polly said. Isaiah pulled up a chair. "I'm not leaving her side until she is holding our child"

Tommy patted his shoulder, ushering Polly out the room.

Twenty minutes passed and the nurse re-entered, the small baby in her arms. "He's perfectly fine" she whispered, handing Isaiah the boy.

His body relaxed as he looked at him in awe. He glanced at Lottie who was still sleeping.

"Lottie" he whispered. She hummed. "He's here" he smiled. She opened her eyes, looking at the two.

"Oh my god" she whispered. He handed her the baby carefully. "He's okay" she said quietly, moving the blanket from his face.

-

"Let's see the boy" Tommy walked in, surprised at the calmness of his sister who wasn't arguing with him for the first time in months.

"What's he called?" He asked.

"Theo John Jesus" Isaiah said. Polly smiled softly at the boys middle name. "Thought it would be nice if we named him after John" Lottie said.

"That's lovely, Lottie" Lizzie smiled.

"Where's Arthur, and Finn?" she asked. "Needed someone to watch the house" Tommy told her.

After a while, Isaiah had left to check up on Aurora and Polly and Lizzie had gone to get food for Lottie.

"Lottie" Tommy began. "Mhm?" she whispered. "Why don't you come home" he asked. "I'm worried about you."

She scoffed.

"I'm being honest, for once in my life. I miss my little sister" he said, looking at her. "If you stay at your house, it increases the risk of Luca getting to you" he told her.

"Ill speak to Siah" she said, giving him a half hearted smile.

Although she was still angry at him for many reasons, now was not the time to be holding them against him.

"But if anything happens to my children, so help me god, Tommy-"

"Nothing will happen to your children, Lottie" he stopped her. She let out a breath.

-

Tommy sat in his office, Lizzie beside him. "Want a drink, Lizzie? I've had a hard day" he sighed. Lizzie took a breath. "I don't drink whiskey or gin anymore, Tom" she said. "Why not?"

"They say it harms the baby"

His head lifted and he turned to her. "Yes, it can only be yours" she said before he could ask. "That day by the canal when you were fucking somebody else in your head, except it wasn't her who got pregnant"

"Have a seat, Lizzie."

"I know a woman" he sighed. "You know lots of women Tommy, if you don't know this already you don't know me. I'm keeping it"

"Who's gonna run me fucking office?"

She smiled at him. "You will find somebody"

"Well" he sat down. "You better out a fucking advert up in the paper"

"I'm not laid up yet"

"You'll not go to work with a child of mine inside of you. Fuck, now me hand shakes"

She grabbed his hand. "It's okay, Tom. It'll be okay"

"All this death, Lizzie. Fuck let's have some life, eh? First Lottie has a baby, now your having one" he whispered.

"I got three"

"I know, Tom" he sighed. "One of 'em point blank"

"A baby. A little you and me" she smiled. "Point blank, Lizzie. And he looked up at me." he cleared his throat, finishing the whiskey.

"You'll get an allowance" he pulled his coat over his shoulders. "Every week, from the company. Business is booming"

Lizzie stared at the wall.

"I will buy you a nice house, eh? Come on, i'll drive you home"