A girl is broken.

Caterina
_________

I screamed Thomas's name over and over again as the men continued to beat him relentlessly. The sound of bones crunching drove me mad against the man's grip, but I could do nothing against the gun pressed to my temple. One single mistake could very well end my life forever.

But if I did nothing, Thomas would die beaten and broken in the darkness of the alley way.

Pained moans left his crumpled body as the men stepped away, revealing Thomas's malformed face drenched in blood. I sobbed out in horror.

The men roughly hoisted Thomas up, his head limp between his shoulders. A hand reached out and gruffly pulled his face up by the hair and I forced myself to look away. I knew if I kept looking I'd empty my stomach out onto the cobble street.

Then there is was- the familiar voice of that horrid little man.

"Thomas Shelby," Darby Sabini mused, his beady black eyes rested on me. Turning my blood cold. "And Caterina Price."

Sabini cocked his head as he turned to face me, "I missed you at my club."

There was the faintest hint of vulgarity laced behind his words as he scanned me head to toe. I snarled at him, but otherwise didn't dare say a word.

Sabini continued, stepping even closer, "I was at the races." He breathed, cupping my face between his cold, rough hands.

My nostrils flared at the contact and I tried desperately to control my breathing under his gaze. There was no telling what lurked behind those spiteful, ebony eyes.

"Sabini..." Thomas heaved from behind us, and my eyes shot to him.

Stupid stupid stupid, Thomas.

Sabini kept his hand around my chin as he slightly turned to sneer down at Thomas. My eyes followed his every move, and I knew I had to act, fast.

If I somehow managed to steal away the gun to my head-

"Don't say my name," Sabini warned, looking at one of the men standing beside Thomas.

He said, "Franco, take my name out of his mouth."

I struggled harder, screaming out Thomas's name as Franco sauntered over to him, knife in hand. Sabini's grip on my face tightened as he forced my gaze, and in return, I spat on that rat-like face of his. I no longer cared, for I knew we were both as good as dead.

Sabini flinched back, wiping at his face with disgust clearly on his features. He glanced down at his hand once and turned back to me, frowning. The sound of Thomas gurgling blood filled the alleyway.

Without so much of a blink of hesitation, Sabini's fist connected with my face, twice.

Once against my eye socket, and the second against my mouth.

I immediately toppled over in agony, no longer feeling the tight grip of the man's hand around my arm. A pained cry escaped my lips as my teeth juddered against each other, and spat blood onto the wet stone beneath me. My arms shook uncontrollably as I wearily lifted my head, trying to blink back the swirls of stars that danced between my vision. I heard Thomas's muffled growl.

The shine of Sabini's shoe in the darkness allowed me enough time to tighten my abdomen in response to his toes thrusting into me. The impact sent me sailing onto the cobble stones once again, desperately gulping down the humid air. My mind went reeling with dizziness, and the bile rising in my throat sent me hurling onto the street before me.

I ignored Sabini's disgusted snarl, and curled into a ball, clutching at my lower front. The amount of pain that pulsed there sent my muscles screaming in every direction. My lips trembled as a wetness spread between my legs.

"While you're there," I heard Sabini add, "do a bit of digging for gold. Pay for the petrol."

Red hot anger surged within, mostly at my own uselessness. Here I was, in the same situation as a year ago, while my friend got the life- quite literally- beaten out of him.

All I could do was watch as Franco dug the knife deeper into Thomas's mouth, and pull away a bloody golden tooth. I swallowed back the familiar taste of bile, and I was selfishly grateful all Sabini gave me was a busted lip, a black eye, and a bruised stomach.

Franco dropped the tooth into Sabini's hand.

"See how much I know about you?" Sabini hissed, leaning closer to Thomas, "I even know what's in your fucking mouth."

But someone had let Thomas's head drop again, resting against his chest. Sabini's eyebrows knitted together in fury.

"Look at me. Look at me."

Sabini grabbed a fistful of Thomas's hair and hoisted him up again.

He hissed like a snake, "look at me."

I stopped breathing at this point, awaiting what he had to say next.

Sabini said, "you take up with the Jews, yeah, that's what you think London is all about-"

Jews in London? But Alfie... Oh no.

My arms gave out at the realization of what this meant, why Sabini came here in the first place. All because of that damned night.

"You can just come down, pick a side. You fucking clown." He spat, making me wince.

Thomas had chosen Alfie's side of the war.

Sabini's next words chilled me to the bone, he sneered, "now your life is over."

Poor Thomas was too disoriented to even fully comprehend Sabini's threat- or promise. I willed myself to crawl closer.

Sabini leaned into Thomas, "my face will be the last thing you'll ever see on this earth. Your mistake. You remember that when you get to hell." And released his grip on Thomas's hair, letting him droop.

By now I was in arms length of Thomas, ready to wrap myself around him when Sabini took a step back and said, "finish him off."

One of the men readily raised a gun. Aimed directly at Thomas's head. And by the look on Sabini's eyes on mine, I knew he wasn't done with me yet. I gulped.

Now, I had to act now.

I lounged forward like a wild cat, when a gunshot blasted through the alley. For a moment I was afraid Sabini upheld his end of the conversation, and really had shot him. But when I tackled Thomas to the ground, landing in a heap of blood and sweat, I saw Sabini and his men run off into the night. The series of gunshots continued.

My hands frantically searched Thomas for any gunshot wounds on him, but I ceased when there weren't any. I swallowed the lump in my throat and ran a hand through his wet hair, grimacing when I looked upon him.

"What have they done to your beautiful face, Thomas," I cried, stroking his hair.

Although I knew he was unconscious from the beating, I didn't want to imagine the amount of pain Sabini's men had caused him to even look like that. Thomas's eyes were swollen shut, and his face puffy with blood.

Shouts erupted behind us, and I strained to look over my shoulder at the policemen. I squinted through the smoke to see a man beginning to emerge from the rest, a rhythmic clanking followed his every move towards us.

Only when a steady hand wrapped around my own, did I turn back to face Thomas.

His eyes remained closed, but his fingers lightly squeezed my own as if saying- he was alright. I nearly broke out in sobs again at the sheer inner strength it must've took Thomas to even reach out for me.

I shook my head, this man was a great one, despite the odds.

Behind me, the clanking grew louder as a hoarse voice sounded, "I suppose we should see if the bastard's still alive."

⚜️

It was mid day when I finally opened my eyes, and scanned the solitary hospital room I was placed in last night. I gently sat up, wincing at the now dull pain in my stomach. A hiss sounded between my clenched teeth as I pressed a hand to my face.

I flinched back.

The mere weight of my hand was enough to irritate the bruising around my eye. Luckily it wasn't swollen like Thomas's was, but I had no doubts that I appeared like a washed up, beaten dog. My fingers then traced the line of my lips next, only to find them split open at the bottom.

My hand dropped and I grunted ruefully, Sabini has a mean right hook, I'll give him that.

I fiddled with the hospital gown the nurses gave me after my initial bath, and my mind wandered back to the feeling of my soaked undergarments they had peeled off me. My cheeks heated at how horrid the urine must've been to clean up, and moved to bite my lip.

I winced back as my teeth grazed them, noting that I'd have to cease my bad habit until after they'd healed.

"Damn it," I muttered to myself, and pressed my head deeper against the pillows.

After a while though, I began to worry about Thomas again.

Was he better now? Or had Sabini's men snuck in after hours to finish the job.

I began to tremble at the latter, we were both sitting ducks in here.

I moved to grip the sheets off me, determined to find Thomas and get the hell out of here, when the door to my room screeched open.

I froze.

"Ms. Price?" A gentle voice called into the room.

My shoulders relaxed at the familiar sight of the robust nurse that had hauled me moaning and groaning into this very bed the night before. I waved her over.

The woman's wide hips swayed side to side as she neared the bed, a tray in her hands. The rich aroma of stew seeped from under the lid, causing my mouth to water. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't eaten a single morsel for two whole days.

The nurse- whose name I couldn't recall- set the tray onto the bedside table and removed the metal lid, picking up a spoon. Her gentle green eyes met mine, but I only nodded. She had already seen me naked, what difference did it make that she fed me now?

She lifted the spoon, wearily bringing it to my parted lips. The nurse was careful not to touch the ravaged skin as she plopped the hot soup into my mouth.

I squeezed my eyes shut and stifled a moan as it warmed my aching belly. My shoulders relaxed against the pillows, and I heaved a sigh.

"How are you feeling today, miss?"

My eyes opened at her careful words, and I met her gaze. The nurse's face was so sad, so... heartbroken.

I furrowed my brows, surely my injuries weren't that terrible to cause this woman so much internal pain.

"I am feeling much better, thank you." I half smiled, "a little banged up, but fine."

Her eyes didn't waver, and with a heavy sigh the nurse set the silver spoon back down onto the tray. I frowned as a soft hand was placed onto my thigh, the warmth seeping through the fabric.

I watched her carefully consider her next words, looking over me before speaking.

"There is something, I must inform you of miss," she said, and I swore her voice trembled.

I sat up straighter, was Thomas... no I didn't even let myself consider it.

"What is it?" I pressed placing my hand over hers, "tell me, now."

I didn't dare let my imagination run wild as she took in a breath, before her glossy eyes met mine.

"When the coppers brought you in, you were bleeding," she said, and I raised my brows.

I knew that already?

But the nurse continued, "there was so much blood miss," she quivered, "between your thighs I mean."

She squeezed my hand, and my breath hitched, so it wasn't urine after all. But what did that mean, exactly?

She seemed to read my confused expression and swallowed thickly, "I hate to tell you this miss, but I'm afraid you had a miscarriage."

I blinked, letting the weight of her words settle in.

No, she must have confused me with someone else because I couldn't have been pregnant.

I couldn't.

"You're wrong," I shook my head, tearing my hand away from hers.

She simply shook her head woefully, and I repeated, "you're wrong."

Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I pulled my knees to my chest. The nurse stood up slowly.

She said, "I'm afraid I'm not mistaken miss. You were about six weeks along if that means anything to you."

I let out a gut-wrenching sob, bringing a shaking hand to my mouth to muffle it. How did I not notice after six, damned weeks of being with child?

Alfred's child, I realized, I had been pregnant with his baby. Our baby.

The thought alone shook me to my core, and I brought my other hand to my stomach, longing for the missing presence I hadn't known was there; growing inside me.

I hadn't even noticed the nurse step out the door until she whispered an apology and left. I only half listened, for I was too busy screaming out into the empty room, cursing Sabini's name.

He took my child from me, Sabini had made me bleed it out onto the floor like some animal.

And I was going to make him bleed in return.

_________
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[side note: holy plot twist am I right??? who else saw that coming? Who, no one? oh okay lol but seriously comment and vote it makes my day, emphasis on the comment! adios!]