VULNERABLE | thomas shelby

✞T W E N T Y- T H R E E ✞

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE; TOM AND BETH

BETH NEARLY FAINTED WHEN she saw Tommy stumble through the doors of the Garrison, Arthur and John helping hold him up as he staggered through the doors a blood stain sweeping through his shirt. Beth managed to pull herself together and rush to get a first aid for Jeremiah. Although mad, her mind held back any malicious intentions once witnessing the man soaked in his own blood. Jeremiah took the first aid kit from Beth's hands murmuring a small thank you before he took the tweezers out and began to dig the bullet out of Tommy who yelled out in agony.

Nudging Arthur to the side gently, Beth stepped up to stand in front of Tommy, her hands on her hips. His eyes flew open once again, this time however his eyes fell onto her, the look of agony on his face only seen to multiply. There eye contact didn't last long as  Tommy winced from Jeremiah's prodding, his eyes squeezing shut as his yells filled the Garrison. Beth refused to cave in, simply just staring at him in hurt. In truth, she thought once seeing him again her anger would ramp but instead, she felt broken, hurt, betrayed all at once.

Eventually Jeremiah dug the bullet out and held it up in the air. "There u still have the knack." He dropped the bullet into a glass of water and stood back to let Tommy breath. Arthur tapped Beth onto the hip and she stepped back of his way but Tommy grabbed her hand tightly in his before she could leave. Arthur stepped into her place and handed Tommy a bottle, telling him to take a swig before he took the bottle from Tommy and splashed into onto his open wound earning a growl from Tommy.

Arthur turned to Beth and gave her a small smile. "It's done Beth. Bandage him up." He instructed before walking off. Beth huffed, beginning to unwrap the bandages as she refused to look anywhere but the man in front of her who stared at her in hurt. "Beth, look at me." Tommy mumbled, watching as she fumbled to wrap the bandaid around his wound delicately. "Bethany." Tommy called, this time louder, earning more than her eyes turning to look but Tommy didn't seem to care, his main priority being the woman in front of him.

"I don't know how long I can do this." Beth murmured, finally allowing herself to look into Tommys eyes, her own crowded with tears. "I can't keep letting you hurt me just because I love you. It's not fair. It's ruining me as a person. I can't even remember the last time that I put my health over yours." Tommy reached his hand out, attempting to pull her close but Beth only snatched her hand back, the tears beginning to fall as she looked at him in hurt. "You hurt me again and again and again because you know I'll run back to you Tommy but I don't want to do this anymore-."

"Are you trying to leave?" Tommy croaked, his own eyes watering. "Beth-." The girl in front of him let out a huff of air, shaking her head angrily. "Just listen to me god damn it Tommy! You slept with her! You fell in love with her and you hurt me! I'm hurting right now and all your worried about is you-." Beth's voice had grown into a shout, her brows furrowed in anger. "That's not true-." Tommy interrupted, anger beginning to wash over him at her accusations. "You know I care about you!"

"Do you?" Beth scoffed, racking a shaking hand through her blonde hair. "Because I don't think that someone who cares would hurt me the way you do. I just don't can't understand time after time why I'm not enough for you." She wiped at her eyes with a huff, attempting to step around him, desperately seeking the door out. His hand caught hers, yanking her toward him. She attempted to brush him off but Tommy refused to let her go, his blue eyes filled with tears. "It's just me and you now. I promise. No one else. It's just us." He moved a shaking hand to wipe her tears as she starred at him in utter betrayal.