Was I too mean with the cliffhanger? XD Oh how I love suspense. I won't keep you waiting much longer… here's chapter six. Oh, and I'm sorry I spelled "Gardiner" wrong. Every time I spell it right my computer keeps auto correcting it. I'm too lazy to figure out how to make it stop so for the time being they're the Gardners.
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"Mr. Darcy, Mr. and Mrs. Gardner, you may want to sit down." said the doctor. This was definitely not a good sign thought Darcy. If something was wrong with her he'd never forgive himself. Had he not run off, this never would have happened.
"What is it?" asked Mrs. Gardner, fearing that she was about to be told her niece was dying.
"Your niece… she's in what we have come to call a coma." Mr. and Mrs. Gardner apparently did not know the medical terminology so he attempted to explain it to them. All the while, their jaws dropped.
"How long will she be this way?"
The doctor waited a moment to answer, "Maybe hours, maybe weeks." said the doctor finally.
"Can she hear us?"
"No one knows except Elizabeth."
"We surely must take her back to Longbourn where her parents can watch over her." Mr. Gardner stated as though addressing Mr. Darcy.
"Oh no, you are not to move her. You might upset her head even more." stated the doctor.
"So what are we to do?"
"I suggest you leave her here. Have someone stay with her at all times. When she wakes up she might not remember where she is and it would frighten her. If she gets any worse, call for me immediately."
Darcy felt this was an unsatisfactory response. Stay with her, hope she lives. It was not a feasible option for him. Yet, it was the only option he seemed to have. He told the Gardners that she would be welcome here until she made a complete recovery and he would see to it that she got the best medical help possible. He was in secretly in despair. He had caused all of this to happen. Because of his actions, Elizabeth, loveliest Elizabeth, might never regain consciousness. He would never forgive himself.
He went to be with her, even though she was unconscious, it was quite awkward for him. He decided just to talk. He needed someone to talk to, even if they couldn't hear him. He took her hand gently and rubbed her palm with his thumb. "I'm so sorry Elizabeth. I'm so very sorry. I'd give anything to take back what happened today." He felt a tear escape his eye. Before he could catch it, it fell on Elizabeth's hand. Still, she stirred not.
The Gardner's left to go inform the Bennet family. It was grave indeed. Still, they knew Mr. Darcy would take care of her. He had not left her side since she had been there. He looked exceptionally disheveled. He hadn't slept, he hadn't eaten, and he hadn't even bothered to shave. The only thing he cared about was this woman. Of course, the Gardners assumed it was from a sense of responsibility. They had no idea it was from the deep love he felt for their niece.
He stayed like this for three days. He talked and talked to her, hoping eventually he would get a response. He talked to her about everything. His sister, Mr. Bingley, and even the weather, yet he did not renew the sentiments of his proposal. He supposed that would only make her want to stay in a coma longer. He talked and talked, still she did not stir. She began to look pale and sickly and he feared she would die.
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Elizabeth was desperately struggling. She knew she had hit that rock when she fell from the horse. Now, she was lying there on some bed unable to move. Her eyelids would not obey her commands to open. Her lips would not speak. She could hear, smell, and feel, but for some reason her body would not move.
She heard Mr. Darcy beside her. He apologized to her. He seemed to think it was his fault she was this way, the ridiculous man. He explained to her what was going on. She was apparently in something called a coma, her Aunt and Uncle had left for Longbourn, and he didn't know if Elizabeth could hear him or not.
Then he took her hand and though she could not move her heart went faster. She wondered if he noticed. He massaged her palm with his thumb. It sent electricity all through Elizabeth. Then she remembered that he thought there was a chance she was going to die. He didn't do this out of love; he did it out of guilt. He thought it was his fault she had hit that tree. Her heart sank. She would have to endure the continuing presence of the one who caused her so much agony. Every time he touched her, she remembered that it was not in love.
Still, she enjoyed it when he talked to her. He would speak of many things. She wanted to smile, but still her body refused. He never once said anything about love or about admiration which furthered her point. He did stay with her though, and for that she was grateful.
She decided that he must not hate her, but nor did he love her either. He felt a sense of responsibility for having caused her to become this way. She decided if she was to go through all of this for the sake of telling Mr. Darcy, if she came out of this, she was going to tell him.
It was on the third day of being this way that Elizabeth began to feel sick. Mr. Darcy told her he was worried. It was not until she thought about it for a good long time that Elizabeth figured out why. She had not eaten in three days. She willed her stomach to growl, hoping to send a message. Mr. Darcy apparently didn't notice.
