I've been on tumblr and all the Downton Abbey stuff (mostly the Tom/Sybil sexy times XP) have kept me from typing chapter three up. I've had the dialogue written for about four days but have been really lazy in actually typing up the chapter. This chapter was pretty difficult to write and there's probably a dent in my wall from me banging my head on it in frustration. I promise you the wait won't be too long for the next chapter!

In regards to the sponge misunderstanding, I'll try and sprinkle a few jokes here and there to lighten everything.

A great big thanks to my reviewers Bristol Fashion, MissPixieWay, and Syblime! An even bigger thanks to tic tac toe 03, , and gothamgirl28 for leaving reviews for chapters one and two. Hugs all around!

Again, as usual, if there are grammatical errors please tell me.

Chapter three commence! Happy reading everyone!

Chapter Three

Sybil's head slowly rose from her hands. She couldn't bear it if her head was playing tricks on her. "Tom?"

The same voice answered back. "Hello"

She was stunned. She couldn't believe it. He was awake. He was really awake.

Sybil leaped from her chair and threw her arms around his shoulders and gave him the fiercest hug that she could. She held on tight, fearing that if she loosened her grip, Tom would dissolve into a million molecules. She buried her face into the crook of his neck and sobbed even harder.

"My god! Tom! You scared me!" Sybil's words were muffled from being buried into his neck but Tom still understood. She couldn't stop the sobs or the hiccups, but she still carried on. "They said you would never wake up."

With her face buried still and her eyes glassy, she didn't notice the hand that came around her to pull her closer in. Tom rubbed small circles in her back, hushed her, and told her it was okay.

She was finally in his arms. Everything in the world was right again.

There were locked like this for many moments. Sybil sobbing quietly while Tom soothed her. Sybil couldn't help but notice that Tom's skin was so soft against hers. She always noticed the softness of his skin when she curled up beside him at night, but this was much better. It was much more satisfying to know that he could hold her like this. Sybil's hiccups were becoming farther and farther apart and she could feel his heartbeat. It was fast, but his breathing was slow. She wondered if he could feel her heart beating. It was beating just as fast as his and as loud. She turned her head a little to watch the rise and fall of his chest. She breathed in, taking in his scent. He smelled of soap, but he didn't smell like him. Tom always smelled of newspapers, motor oil, and his own musky scent, but he never smelled bad. He just smelled like him. His stubble was scratching her forehead, but she didn't mind. She made a mental note to shave his face later. It had been a few minutes since she last hiccupped. Tom stopped rubbing her back Sybil could feel him look down at her, trying to see her face.

"Are you okay now?"

With a small laugh and the last of the tears escaping Sybil smiled and lifted her head up and their blue eyes met. "I should be asking you that."

He chuckled softly. Knowing the impropriety of the situation, Sybil lifted herself up, out of his arms and stood back up. Heat was creeping up from her neck. She should have felt embarrassed the first time she laid beside him all those weeks ago, but she didn't. Being with him was as natural as breathing. She knew she shouldn't feel so comfortable with Tom, since he was a man and, more importantly, one of her father's servants. Sybil wasn't blushing from laying beside with Tom. No, it wasn't that. Her blush came from the realization that she had to confront her feelings while he was awake. She quickly turned away from him, hiding her blush.

'Now's not the time to be weak. Be strong Sybil. He needs someone to lean on and you're the only person who can help him.'

Sybil shifted the weight on her feet and grabbed the bandages and gauze from the nurses cabinet. She straightened herself and became Nurse Crawley again. She turned back to him and caught him staring at her. Her heart melted but you would never know from her response. "I'm sorry for that. It was highly inappropriate of me." Tom looked away and nodded. The disappointment was all over his face. Sybil's heart sunk. She didn't want to come off as cold, especially after she had greeted with an embrace and tears of joy. She had to save this somehow. "How are you feeling?"

"Like fecking shite. Oh shite. I'm sorry…"

"No, it's fine…"

Silence engulfed them both. It wasn't like the silence from minutes before; that easy, comforting silence in each others arms. This was uncomfortable. The silence was suffocating her.

'Oh god. This is terrible. What do I say next? Tom please say something. I can't…'

It was as if someone had broken the seal and all the air came back in when Tom spoke again.

Pointing to the two tubes in his nose, he furrowed his brow. "What are these?"

Sybil finally found her voice when he asked about his feeding tubes. She found that it was much easier to make small talk rather than talk about her feelings. "Feeding tubes. Would you like me to remove them?"

"Could you. It's hard to breathe with these things down my nose."

"Of course. Now just relax. This is going to feel odd, but you must keep still."

She placed a hand on his forehead to keep it still and the other gripped the feeing tubes. She stroked his forehead right before she pulled, feeling his hair tickle her hand. She pulled the tubes slowly as Tom winced. The end of the tubes finally came out and she heard Tom breathe a sigh of relief.

She removed her hand from his forehead and put the feeding tubes on top of the nurse's cabinet. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you."

Sybil went to the wash basin and proceeded to wash her hands. She was drying her hands when she realized he hadn't eaten today. "I hope that wasn't too dreadful for you. Are you hungry? I imagine you are. I hope you like porridge because that's the only thing we could feed you through the feeing tubes."

"Something to eat would be lovely."

Sybil was moving about, making herself busy. She couldn't bring herself to look at him again, but she could feel his stare follow her around. It was comforting, yet unsettling at the same time. "Let me get you food from the kitchens." She headed for the curtain opening when she turned back to him. "Is there anything in particular that you would like?"

"No, anything's fine. Thank you."

She exited Tom's quarters for the kitchen when she thought of the other nurses. Tom was alone in this ward, but the ward across the hall was full of nurses and the other nursing students. She couldn't risk having Tom call out to her and call her Lady Sybil. It would destroy all the trust and respect she had earned from her peers these past weeks.

She practically ran back Tom and popped her head between the open curtains.

"Oh, Tom?"

"Yes?"

"Please call me Nurse Crawley while you're here. I'd hate for anyone to know that I'm really a lady. Some of the other nurses are suspicious of me because of my accent and I can't have you going around calling me milady around the other nursing students. It would give me away. I want to be treated like in equal here. You of all people should understand."

Tom's eyes widened slightly then went back to normal. "Of course I do Nurse Crawley. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

. . .

Sybil couldn't stop smiling. Tom had come back to her. Yes, it was a bit awkward considering the way they had parted, but this was a step in the right direction. She feared that when Tom would wake you, he would never want to speak to her again. She couldn't blame him if he did. She treated him poorly when they parted. If he was still angry at her, she would give him his space. But from the way they had just interacted, Sybil was sure he had forgiven her. She hadn't said it with words, but her actions spoke for her. She cared for him and she hoped he got the message.

Sybil ran downstairs to the kitchens and met Nurse Delpy on the way down.

"Nurse Crawley, I didn't expect to see you here. You seem more cheery than when I last saw you."

"Mr. Branson woke up. I took his feeding tube out and he's been asking for food."

"Well that's no surprise from all the care you've given him. Go to sleep. You look worn out. I'll send up a tray and tend to him. Lord knows you've done enough. Matron Jones comes back tomorrow from leave, so I'll send her up to see Mr. Branson as soon as she is settled."

"Of course Nurse Delpy. Thank you."

Sybil wanted desperately to tend to Tom. Her promise to him still stood and she had every intention of keeping it. This was Tom's first night awake and she wanted to be with him. But she could not disobey her superior. She walked all the way across the campus to her dorm. She washed up, quickly changed out of her nurses uniform and into her nightdress and fell into bed. Sybil fell asleep, dreaming of the feel of his skin under her fingers, his warm breath on her forehead, the soft tuft of hair on his chest and the beating of their hearts in sync.

. . .

Sybil awoke the next morning and rushed to see Tom. She learned that he had fallen asleep when she had left him. Sybil went to check on him again after lecture but he was still asleep. She came back after lunch to see if he was awake, but Nurse Delpy told her he hadn't awoken yet. Sybil visited him before dinner, but the prognosis was the same.

"I don't know what to tell you Nurse Crawley. I think he still might be in a coma."

"But I spoke to him! I swear!"

"Whatever you say Nurse Crawley. Just be sure to change his bandages again and…"

A hoarse voice came from the bed and it made the two nurses at the foot of the bed stand to attention. "Hey! I am awake! I've just been tired."

Sybil shot Nurse Delpy an "I-told-you" look and she sighed in defeat.

"I guess you were right Nurse Crawley." Nurse Delpy turned to Tom and introduced herself then went right back to Sybil to give her orders for tonight. "Change his bandages, wash him, and change his sheets. Take his vitals too since he's awake and can respond back. Then head straight to bed. The matron will be coming soon to check on him."

Nurse Deply left immediately and Sybil was finally alone with Tom. Sybil reached for his chest to change his bandages, but she could see that he was about to have a panic attack as her hands got closer to his bare chest. She put her hands to her side.

He stared at her with wide eyes. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate Nurse Crawley?"

"How? I am your nurse aren't I? This is what nurses are supposed to do. Take care of their patient's every need. It is my job to feed you, wash you, change you, give you your medicine, and make sure you're okay."

"You…washed…me?" Tom was in complete shock and turning an alarming shade of red. "But you're also a lady! You can't…"

Sybil didn't want to have this conversation again. She heard it from her papa once, she didn't need to hear it from Tom. She cut him off in frustration. "Not here I'm not. Let me do my job and I promise you, you'll get better."

Tom tried to sneak in another word but Sybil wasn't having it. "If you're worried if anything's happened, I can assure you, I've been completely professional and respectful the entire time."

'Well not completely professional…'

Tom relaxed a little bit and Sybil took note of how flustered he got. It was nice seeing a different side of Tom. He's always so sure about himself and his ideals. To see him embarrassed was a treat for her. She reached for his chest again and this time he was calmer. She removed all his bandages and went to the table to get the new bandages ready. She hummed quietly to herself and thought of Tom.

'He would probably be released the same time my course lets out, which gives us about a week and a half left of each others company. We'll go back to Downton, together.'

She smiled at the thought of spending more time with Tom when his voice cut through her thoughts.

"You seem happier than yesterday."

Sybil kept her back turned to him as she prepped the gauze and bandages, her smile radiating off her face. "Really?"

"Much happier. Did something happen? Did you meet someone?"

She let out a small laugh. "No. Well, yes and no. I ran into someone I wasn't expecting to see for a long time. I've missed him terribly." She turned around looked in his eyes hoping that he had gotten the message. They locked eyes and stared at each other for a brief moment. She wanted to stop with all of this nonsense and tell him how she really felt, but she felt that it wasn't the right time. Feeling the blush that was creeping up her neck from being too forward, she turned back around to the table. "And you're awake and feeling better, so that makes me happy too."

"I wish the same could be said for my heart."

Sybil's smile faded. She had to ask. She knew what the answer would be, but a part of her needed to hear the pain that she had caused him. She needed to understand what she had done to him so she wouldn't be the one to cause it anymore. She was here to heal him. To do that, she needed to understand his pain. "What happened?"

"I asked a girl to marry me not too long ago, but she said no. I'm thinking of leaving because she refused me."

She turned back around to look into his eyes, forgetting about his bandages. He didn't turn to look up at her. "No! Don't do that!"

Tom fixed his gaze straight ahead. "Why not? She doesn't love me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…No…I don't know. It doesn't seem worth the trouble anymore. She's caused me too much pain over the years, but I love her, or at least I think I do…"

"Ask her again."

Tom finally looked up at her. "What?"

"Love is always worth the risk."

"I don't know if I should. I don't want to get hurt again."

"She was scared and unsure of herself the first time you asked her. Ask her again."

"Should I? What if her answer is still no? What then?"

"I guarantee her answer will be different this time. She's realized something while you were away." Now was now or never. She couldn't falter this time. She had to get it right, for the sake of both of their hearts. "Tom, ask her again."

Something in Tom's eyes changed. He looked down for a moment and looked back up. He was staring at her, but he wasn't with her. He had a faraway look in his eyes like he was remembering something painful. It didn't take Sybil long to figure out that he was remembering his speech at the arch and her flattered response. She was absolutely disgusted with herself. She needed to make up for her mistake. She could do that here with one word. All he needed to do was ask her again.

He was tearing up and he took a deep wavering breathe in. This was it. He was going to ask.

And she was going to say yes this time.

"Syb…"

"Nurse Crawley!"

Tom and Sybil snapped out of their reverie as the booming voice of Matron Jones echoed throughout the ward. Matron Jones stood at the entrance of the curtain, arms folded.

Sybil straightened up and addressed her. "Matron Jones, I was just about to change his bandages."

"No need to do that Nurse Crawley. Since I'm here to check on Mr. Branson, I'll do it for you. Get to bed. You've done so much for him in these past few weeks."

Sybil and Tom said their goodnights, and she left. But Sybil couldn't leave the ward just yet. She stood at in the hallway listening to Matron Jones speak to Tom.

"Mr. Branson, your heart is beating a million miles a minute! Are you sure you're okay?"

Sybil felt her chest. Hers was a million miles a minute too.

. . .

The next night Sybil was ready to change his bandages again and they had easily slipped back into their roles as friends. They fell quite easily into conversation. It was as if the proposal at York never happened.

'Maybe he knows that I'll accept him and he's just waiting for the right time to ask…'

"Don't you find it odd? All these nurses with different accents here?"

Sybil was checking his cuts and scrapes to see if they were healing well. All of them, except for the large gash on his chest had been completely healed. "Well this is a training college Branson. Women from all over come here to be trained."

"Dangerous place to have a training college, don't you think?"

She looked up from examining his arm. "Dangerous? Here? This place certainly isn't dangerous. I can think of many more places on the continent that are more dangerous than here."

Tom's eyebrows went up. "So you aren't afraid?"

"Of course not! Why would I be?"

He gave a short laugh and ran his hand through his hair. "Jesus Nurse Crawley! I'm not ashamed to admit this, but you are much braver than me. I wouldn't dream of stepping outside with the RIC's attacks becoming more violent…"

Sybil's eyes narrowed. 'The RIC? But the RIC is only in…Oh no, oh please God no'

She had to ask. She had to know. She had read cases in which this happened, but she never even gave it a thought when he woke up. They had fallen easily back into friendship that she didn't even consider it. "Branson, this may seem like an odd question, but where are we?"

"We're in a room."

'Don't get cheeky on me Tom Branson.'

"Of course we are. I mean, where? As in what town?"

"Dublin."

'No this can't be happening.'

"What's the date?"

"April 1913"

'I don't want to lose him again.'

"What's my name?"

"Excuse me?"

"Branson, do you know my name?"

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Just answer Branson!"

"Nurse Crawley of course!"

"Tom Branson! Stop playing this instant!"

Tom looked confused. "I'm not. That is your name."

He had caught her. Technically that was her name and she did ask him to refer to her as Nurse Crawley. There was hope. It was slim, but there was still a chance. If there was anyone who beat the odds, it was Tom. "What is my given name?"

"Your given name?"

Sybil's frustration couldn't be contained any longer. She needed to know if he knew her name. If Tom was playing with her, there would be hell to pay. She didn't enjoy this game that he was playing and she was going to let him know she didn't like it. Not one bit. "YES MY GIVEN NAME! JESUS CHRIST, TOM BRANSON! YOU CAN BE SO INCREDIBLY THICK SOMETIMES!"

Sybil's yell had echoed throughout the now empty ward. Tom was silent. She had pushed him too far. Sybil had insulted him and the guilt was fast approaching. He looked away from her and she could tell he was trying to remember a name. A name that represented his hate. A name that represented his love. A name that shattered his heart six weeks previous. A name that finally realized it loved him back after years and years of friendship.

The agony in waiting was unbearable. Sybil thought she would go mad from the wait. She stood next to his bed, waiting for his answer. She stared intently at his face. She didn't want to miss the moment he realized it was her. His Lady. His Sybil.

Sybil waited and waited. Silence consumed them. Tom couldn't look at her. She finally realized he'd beaten the odds too many times. The moment of his realization she was hoping for did not come. The odds finally caught up with him and now both Sybil and Tom would lose the ultimate bet.

He looked back at her with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't know it."

Sybil's world came crashing down. She collapsed in her chair in total disbelief. She broke eye contact with the stranger lying in the bed beside her. So this is what it felt like: to have your heart crushed by the only person who would be able to make you truly happy.

No. This was worse.

The man who had just broken her heart was completely unaware that he held her heart or that he had shattered it. Ignorance must be bliss.

'He has no idea who I am. He's forgotten me…'

. . .

Yes, I know. All of you are confused. HOW COULD HE FORGET HER WHEN HE ALMOST SAID HER NAME?! Take some advice from the lovely Allen Leech: (THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A REALLY GOOD .GIF! WHY WON'T ff LET ME PUT LINKS IN!? If you want to see it, PM me. I swear its amazing.) It will all be explained next chapter since the next chapter will be in Branson's POV!

I live in the US and am not well versed in Irish history. If I made a mistake in confusing the Black and Tans with the RIC, please correct me. Remember that Tom thinks it's 1913. So (from what I read on wikipedia) the Black and Tans weren't in Ireland yet. Yes? No? Help me!

I hope ya'll liked the chapter! Holla at yo' qurl and leave a review! Reviews make my world turn.=D