VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

TWENTY

MAKE SURE YOU'VE READ CHAPTER 19!!!

"I think my waters have broken."

"Right," Polly stood up from her seat, noticing the puddle of fluid that meant that Florence was right, that baby was on its way into the world, "We need to get you back home then."

"I don't think there's enough time," Florence winced, the uncomfortable twinges she had been experiencing all day suddenly presenting as pain.

"How long have you been feeling pain, Florence?" Polly asked as she came to the girl's side.

"Since this morning," Florence exhaled, "I just assumed it was those braxton hicks you both warned me about."

"Oh no my darling, this is labour," Imelda smiled as she joined her daughter, "Your baby's on its way."

"Right," Polly sighed, knowing she was better prepared than anyone to deal with yet another childbirth. She turned her attention to the men in the shop, clapping her hands together to get the men's attention, "You men all need to leave, now."

The race is about to start," One of the men dared to speak up.

"I don't give a fuck," Polly replied sharply as Florence's pains continued, "Out, all of you, right now!"

Mumbles and whispers of disagreements crossed the men's lips as they stood up from their chairs, shuffling out of the doors as Polly ushered them out of the room. Despite not being Florence's mother Polly felt an instinctive urge to protect the girl, and she would do whatever she could to do that.

"I can't give birth in the betting shop, Pol," Florence sighed as Polly returned to her side, "But I'm not sure I'll make it back to the Harrington estate."

"Let's get you back to our house, Floss," Imelda suggested, circling her hand over her daughter's back in the hope of comforting her.

"Come on then ladies," Polly smiled as she and Imelda wrapped her arms around the girl, guiding her out of the back door and through the yard to the back door of her mother's house.

"I can't imagine how the pain can get any worse than this," Florence groaned as she felt pain run through her body again.

"You'll be alright, petal," Imelda assured her as they guided her into the house, "Women do this everyday across the world, and you are just as strong as them."

"How long will it be like this?" Florence muttered as the two women guided her towards the sofa in the middle of the room, helping her to sit down.

"There's no set time on childbirth I'm afraid, my love," Imelda sighed, "You were born very quickly, Pol always said it was because I was so young."

"Can you check that everything is alright, Pol?" Florence asked, clinging to the woman's hand, "I need to know if it'll be as difficult as it was for Ada."

Polly rested her hand at the bottom of Florence's baby bump, immediately relieved to feel the baby's head was exactly where it should be for a safer labour, "Everything's as it should be, we just have to wait now through the contractions until it's time for you to push, alright?"

"Yeah," Florence nodded as she breathed slowly through the pains while Imelda busied herself searching for blankets, towels and a bowl to fill with water.

"Would you like me to call Elijah?" Polly asked, stroking Florence's hair back out of her face.

"Yes, he should still be at work," Florence winced as another contraction ran through her body as she clung onto Polly's arm to get her attention, before whispering, not wishing for her mother to hear, "And Tommy, he should be here."