Sweeney's morbid thoughts were rudely interrupted in their little swim around his mind as Toby burst in, making the door fling back and hit the wall, the little bell jangling loud, as if in shock.
He looked scared and worried, and the barber could tell there was something very wrong indeed, but nevertheless remained calm as he stood and looked at the boy with polite interest.
"What's wrong with you, boy?"
"It's Mrs Lovett, sir, she's fallen down the bake 'ouse stairs an' she told me not to go down there, so I thought you could – "
He was cut off by Sweeney pushing past him quickly and taking the steps down to the pie shop two at a time.
The stairs down to the bake house were treated the same way, although with a little more caution, he didn't want to be the second one to fall down the stairs today, did he?
When he found her, she was out cold with a slightly blue area on her forehead. He scooped her unconscious form up and carried her carefully up the stairs bridal style. Had she been awake, she would've found this all very romantic. But unfortunately she wasn't, and it worried Sweeney no end.
She might have concussion. She might not wake up. What are you going to do if she doesn't? his own mind asked him.
In truth, he had no idea. He laid her out on her bed and, wanting to make sure she was alright, went back to the pie shop and took a chair to sit on in her room. She looked peaceful in her unconscious state, and he couldn't help leaning over her to place a kiss on her lips.
She couldn't die. She just couldn't. She meant the world to him, something that he'd only recently discovered, but he had discovered nonetheless.
He'd sit there as long as it took for her to wake up, even if it took all night. Of course, he hoped she might wake up before then, but a part of him knew she probably wouldn't.
He was growing sleepy by the time she woke up, which was late in the morning the next day. Her eyes fluttered open, immediately falling on the barber sat next to her. She looked almost…scared of him.
Little did he know the first question out of her mouth would cause so much trouble in the future.
"Who the bloody 'ell are you?"
