Disclaimer: I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.
Chapter Nineteen: Tunnel Shooting.
"I hear the Yanks have finally entered the war," John said leaning back in his seat and looking up at the sky, he was growing tired of being stuck in this muddy hell-hole when all he wanted was to be at home with his family. They had been here for three years now with no sign of things changing, they had done everything that they had been told yet the promise of returning home didn't seem to come.
"Aye hopefully that means that this we'll be heading home soon," Arthur replied knowing that he couldn't take much more of this; he didn't think that he'd spend so much time in France when they'd been promised a war that would end in a couple of months. Three long years working in the trenches and digging tunnels, it hadn't been easy and they had all done their fair share of work while they had been here.
They'd all seen their fair share of death during their time fighting a war and none of them would ever forget each of the comrades that had been killed just doing their duty to their King. Each of them just wanting to return home to the family that they had left behind; they could only think of Aunt Polly, Ada, Finn, Martha, Rosemary and the young ones still waiting for them.
Thomas didn't speak, his eyes staring at the wall across from him as he tried to suppress the memories that crept into his mind and focus on happier times. It was hard to believe that he had been married for three years and had a daughter that he had never met; of course, Rosemary kept him informed but there was so much he had missed and would never get to see.
He would never experience Kathleen's first word, her first steps… all things that he had heard about but never got to witness. The sudden sound of scrapping made the group fall silent, they barely had time to react before the wall that they'd been digging at slowly crumbled away.
The tunnel suddenly erupted into chaos as it was filled with shouts in both German and English; people scrambling for their weapons as they engaged the enemy, all knowing that they had to kill those against them. The next few moments were madness and a blare, looking back none of them would be sure what exactly happened but one minute a German rifle was aimed at Thomas and the next thing was that he was on the floor.
He could only look up in surprise quickly followed by horror as he realised that Freddie had shoved him out of the way. Arthur and John were quick to dispatch the enemy soldiers while Thomas moved back to his feet and over to Freddie who stumbled and collapsed; his hands clutching where he had been shot.
"Medic! Somebody get a medic!" Thomas shouted, his hands pressing into the wound and he prayed that he wouldn't watch his friend bleed to death as he had done with his father-in-law. He looked down at Freddie not sure what to say to him, his head not able to accept that it should have been him bleeding to death on the floor.
"Why would you do that?" Thomas exclaimed not understanding while Freddie had saved his life and taken that bullet for him; he pressed at the wound to try and stop the bleeding. He could hear the medics coming and he prayed that Freddie was going to be alright; he would never forgive himself if his friend died for him here.
The medics quickly arrived and loaded Freddie onto a stretcher to take him away to be treated; they seemed sure that the wound wouldn't be too bad since he had been hit in the shoulder. Looking down at the blood on his hands, Thomas doubted that this was the last time he'd see a sight like that.
Staring down at the latest letter that she had received from her husband, Rosemary swallowed the lump in her throat knowing that what had happened to Freddie was not something that he would ever forget. She thanked God that Thomas was okay and she prayed that Freddie would recover after what he had done to save her husband; it had been a year since her own father's death and she didn't want that for Kathleen.
"How is Tommy?" Victoria asked setting down a cup of tea for her, she was dressed in black just as she had done since the news of her husband's death. It was still hard to believe and she was ever so grateful that she had been able to find a job that supported her and the two children that still lived under her roof. Victoria had been relieved when Colleen had made the announcement that she and Peter would be moving in with his parents since there was more room there.
It had been a great relief since it meant that there were three less mouths to feed with two pay-checks coming into the house; she was sure that it would be much easier for them to survive. Colleen had never pulled her weight at home and always expected someone else to watch her son while Peter struggled to find work since he was seen as a coward.
"Freddie saved his life," Rosemary said folding the letter and setting it on the table, she was grateful for the fact that things had slowly worked themselves out for her family. Things were not easy in Small Heath and they just about managed to make sure that they put food on their tables; each of them doing their part so that they wouldn't starve. Victoria's stomach turned at the news, she went to church often to pray for the safe return of Rosemary's husband; she didn't want her daughter becoming a young widow.
"I shall pray for Freddie," Victoria said, there had been many men lost to this war and she doubted many would be returning to Small Heath should the war last very much longer. No one had expected it to last three years, it had been long and many just wanted their husbands, brothers, fathers and sons to come home; it was never meant to come to this yet here they were.
"With the Americans involved, the war shouldn't last much longer," Yvette piped in, she nibbled on her lunch and she was starving; she had come to visit her sister and niece on her lunchbreak like she did most days. She was certain that now that they were getting the extra forces that they needed that it shouldn't be too much longer before this war came to an end. They were already saying it was like no other war that they had ever experienced in history; it was something that would be remembered and they could only hope that it would never be repeated again.
"They said it would be over by Christmas… that was three years ago," Victoria replied with a shake of her head, she cared not for what the politicians were saying. They would say whatever they needed to and she was sure that it was all lies, there was no end in sight and things didn't seem to be getting any better.
Yvette was silent at that, if the war had only lasted those three-four months then her father would still be alive and they wouldn't have struggled as they had done in the past three years. Reaching across the table, Rosemary took her sister's hand and offered it a reassuring squeeze; there was no harm in hoping for an end to this war.
"I believe that we might be closer to an end than we know," Rosemary told her, she truly believed that this might be a sign that the war was coming to an end and that Thomas would be home soon. It might not be as soon as she would like but she did believe that the war was coming to an end.
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