Disclaimer: I don't own Downton Abbey.
Summary: What if Thomas hadn't found Jimmy in time? (Season 3, Episode 9) THIS IS A ONE-SHOT, NO SLASH
Thomas snuck a surreptitious glance at Jimmy. He was really worried; it was obvious that Jimmy was drunk.
"Thomas!" Daisy called.
He turned, almost irritated from having been distracted from watching Jimmy.
"Look! Look! I won! I won!" Daisy cried in joy, holding up a shiny gold sovereign.
"See, I told you they were real" laughed Ivy, clinging to Daisy's arm.
Thomas smiled politely, "very good Daisy."
"I know, I can't believe it! I never won nothing before!" giggled Daisy, practically skipping away to bother Alfred.
Thomas smiled, turning away in shock as he saw that Jimmy was gone and that there was a lone figure stumbling away.
"Shit" he muttered, striding after Jimmy.
At the back of the fair, Thomas saw a single figure stumbling down the dusty road. Taking a quick glance to each side, Thomas started to jog after Jimmy, only to halt as he saw two other men sneak down under the bridge. He started to yell Jimmy's name and thought better, breaking out into an all out run the other way.
Thomas reached the fair again.
"Doctor! Mrs. Crawley!" he yelled, running to the first couple he saw, "please its Jimmy!"
"Why? What happened?" Mrs. Crawley asked, concern creasing her face.
"I'll come, Mrs. Crawley fetch everyone else!" Dr. Clarkson ordered, grabbing his hat from a chair. The two men turned away, but not before Thomas caught the crestfallen look on Mrs. Crawley's face.
By the time they got back to Jimmy, the three men were gone, and Jimmy was just barely conscious. He was curled on his side, and he let out an involuntary whimper as Thomas and Dr. Clarkson came nearer.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Thomas asked gently as Jimmy trembled.
"They stole…the money…" Jimmy swallowed painfully.
Alright, let's get him sitting up" Dr. Clarkson said, pulling off his jacket.
Thomas slid an arm behind Jimmy and had him sitting up. Jimmy suddenly coughed and doubled over, a few drops of blood spattering the ground. Dr. Clarkson grimaced and slowly tilted Jimmy's head up, his eyes were glassy and filled with pain.
"Doctor!" Mrs. Crawley came running up, followed by Tom, Alfred, Daisy, Ivy, and Mrs. Hughes.
"How bad is he?" Ivy asked, a worried expression on her face.
"Not good, I'm afraid. It looks like there's some broken ribs, his left wrist is broken, all in all he's in bad condition."
"I'll get the wagon" offered Alfred, and hurried off.
"What should we do?" Mrs. Crawley asked.
"Get him home and I'll come as soon as I can."
Thomas and Tom helped Jimmy to stand up, both wincing as Jimmy cried out in pain.
:~:~:~:~:
Tentatively, Thomas knocked on the door to Jimmy's room.
"Jimmy?" he called. There was no answer but Thomas quietly opened the door and stepped in. Jimmy was fast asleep and Thomas slowly sat down in the rickety chair next to Jimmy's bed. He noticed a fine sheen of sweat had broken on Jimmy's brow and he carefully took a washcloth and dampened it with cold water, gently smoothing the cloth over Jimmy's forehead. Thomas's face creased in worry as Jimmy didn't even stir at the firm touch.
"Mrs. Hughes? Mrs. Hughes!" Thomas called.
Mrs. Hughes came running, "my goodness Thomas, what is it?"
"He's not waking up!" Thomas said frantically.
"Jimmy. Jimmy!" Mrs. Hughes gently shook Jimmy's shoulder to no avail. She lightly slapped his cheek, finally eliciting a slight response as Jimmy's eyes flickered open.
"Mr. Moseley! Please fetch Dr. Clarkson and tell him James is worse!" Mrs. Hughes called. She turned back to see Thomas holding Jimmy over a china basin as he retched.
"What is going on?" demanded Carson, storming into Jimmy's room, "in case you've all forgotten, we have a dinner to serve."
"It seems James has taken ill."
"What? Now?! We have—"
"Oh for Goodness' sake!" cried Mrs. Hughes "the boy's ill. It can't be helped!"
"Well, we'll have to have Thomas serve in the dining room" Carson responded huffily.
"I'm sure this house has suffered worse" Mrs. Hughes responded mildly. Thomas took one last look at Jimmy, who was now curled in the bed, the blanket tucked around his shoulder.
"I'll stay here, go get dressed" Mrs. Hughes murmured to Thomas.
The dinner went well, but Thomas was almost in a trance throughout the entire affair. Afterwards, Thomas rushed back downstairs, after Alfred told him that Dr. Clarkson had finally arrived. By the time Thomas came down, Dr. Clarkson was just finishing.
"Won't you stay for a cup of tea?" Mrs. Hughes offered as the two of them stepped out into the hall.
"How is he?" Thomas rudely pushed past Mrs. Hughes.
"He has a fever. I'm afraid James must have been ill before this and these recent injuries have not helped his condition. I gave him something to help him sleep" Dr. Clarkson supplied.
Thomas quietly pushed open the door to Jimmy's bedroom, only to find him sitting straight up in bed, looking terrified.
"Jimmy? Jimmy!" Thomas snapped his fingers in front of Jimmy only to jump back as Jimmy jerked towards him.
"Relax…it's just me" Thomas soothed. Slowly Jimmy calmed down, his frightened eyes still darting around.
Thomas slowly put his hand on Jimmy's arm and eased him back down against the pillows. Jimmy clutched his arm, grasping at Thomas' sleeve.
"Wait! Don't go!" he cried frantically, "please, he can't—"
"Who?" Thomas asked, completely stupefied.
"Him!" Jimmy cried in terror.
"Relax, James. You're safe" Dr. Clarkson came up behind Thomas.
Jimmy's eyes slowly lost their haunted gaze and his breathing evened out until he was asleep.
"Who was he talking about?" demanded Thomas.
"Mr. Barrow, would you please come with me for a moment?" Mrs. Hughes asked tactfully.
"Jim—James was in a very bad situation before working here. He was quite badly abused. Anyways, Dr. Clarkson has informed me that James may experience nightmares due to his high fever."
Thomas sighed and bit his lip, "no wonder he—" he broke off, suddenly embarrassed. He had been about to say 'no wonder he had not welcomed my advances' but he was too self-conscious.
Mrs. Hughes gave Thomas a comforting look, "don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine."
Over the next few days Thomas stayed by Jimmy's side. He constantly sat next to Jimmy, changing blankets when they got too sweaty, assisting Dr. Clarkson in redressing Jimmy's cuts and deflecting Ivy's and Daisy's concerned questions.
Jimmy's fever finally broke by the third day and Thomas managed not to sigh in relief when Jimmy's blue eyes flickered open and he asked for a drink of water.
It was four weeks after Jimmy's illness and although his wrist was still on the mend, he was back to work as a footman. He had been avoiding Thomas for these weeks, when Thomas stopped him in the hallway.
"What's with you?" he whispered.
"Not here" Jimmy replied, trying to twist away.
"Yes, here. What's going on?"
"Nothing" Jimmy muttered, a flush starting to creep up his neck.
"I don't believe you" Thomas stated flatly.
"I—I—I just wanted to say thank you. For staying with me and…not telling anybody about what happened before" Jimmy's cheeks were bright red by now.
"Also, that I like you, but…"
"But…" Thomas hinted.
"I just wasn't ready. But I think I want to start over. So can we?" Jimmy asked imploringly.
"Of course. All you had to do was ask" Thomas smiled.
THE END
A/N: so a happy ending for Thomas and slightly for Jimmy! Please tell me what you think!