William hung up and stared mutely at Charles. Charles had his own problems to worry about so he shouldn't have to deal with his.

"What's wrong?" He was staring back with worry. Darcy couldn't bring himself to answer. He just stood there. Wickham and come back into Lizzie's life and hurt her when she had tried to stop him. His Lizzie. He had to go and see her, even if she was on so many pain killers she thought he was her father. He had to tell her he loved her. Then Charles phone wrung and his eyes filled with the same shock that Darcy was certain was in his own. He hung up and walked over to William.

"I'll drive?" He pushed Darcy towards the door.

"Did Fitz say if they caught him?" Darcy stopped his friend.

"No, he didn't. You can ask at the hospital." And with that, it was Darcy's turn to push his friend out the door.

— A FEW DAYS LATER —

Darcy hated waiting. He had to wait during the two day drive to the hospital. He had to wait while Charles cleared things up with Jane. Then he had to wait because family was only allowed in. Then he had to wait because her father wasn't letting in people he hadn't met before. The he had to wait while Jane and Fitz and Charles explained the story to everyone, minus the whole "I broke both your daughters' hearts" bit. So really he had to wait while they concocted a story that was plausible on the spot. The entire time he waited, no one would tell him the three things he wanted to know. One: was she okay. Two: did they catch him. Three: when could he punch George Wickham before he personally locked him in jail.

"Mr. Darcy, I'm sorry for the wait." Mr. Bennet stood besides him looking at their reflections in the window. "Now please, tell me the truth. I don't care what it is, I'll let you see her. I just don't want to listen to what those three are making up anymore."

"Sir," Darcy took a deep breath and turned to face him. "I wasn't entirely pleasant to your daughter the first time we met. And then when she left, I realized that I was falling in love with her. I told her, but certain things that I have done in the past have not left me in the best," he stumbled on his wording. "Image."

"And do you think you are still falling in love with my daughter?" Mr. Bennet looked like he should have been a security guard.

"No, sir. I believe that the falling process is over." He turned back to the window where Lizzie was probably sleeping.

"What do you mean by that?" Mr. Bennet physically turned Darcy to face him.

"Only that I have completed the falling process." Mr. Bennet's face was still confused. Just tell him. "What I mean, sir, is that I have fallen in love with your daughter."

"I don't know what to say to you right now. That was very bold in the situation. I don't know if she loves you back, but you are, however, welcome to see her. I don't believe you will cause her any harm. The fact that you have had Jane trying to get you in for the past hour is enough for me, I just wanted the truth."

He let go of Darcy's shoulders and stepped a little to the took a step and stopped. "How is she?"

"She's not talking to anyone. You got here two days after she was admitted. We haven't mentioned anyone out here not family and over the past days, she hasn't let anyone so much as hold her hand or given a reply to anything we say." William just continued to stand there.

"Then, maybe it would be best if-" William started to turn to go.

"Before you leave, do you want to know what she told your cousin? Before she got in the ambulance?" William turned back around. "Your cousin said that she whispered a name. He didn't tell me which name until just recently though."

Darcy was fed up with waiting. "What name?"

"William." Mr. Bennet turned and walked back over to his wife and wrapped an arm around her.

William opened the door to the room and saw her curled up in a ball on the bed, facing away from him. "Lizzie?" He didn't want to wake her, so he just settled for a whisper. He wanted to run and sit next to her, and hold her, and tell her everything was going to be okay. He saw her body straighten a little and he took some tentative steps forward, making sure to close the door behind him.

"Darcy?" Her passionate voice had turned into a croak. It broke his heart.

"Lizzie, are you. Do you want. Do you need anything?" That was all he could manage to get out? He wanted to kick himself. She kept her face turned away but rolled onto her back.

"Sit with me?" He pull a chair over and sat down next to the bed.

— POV CHANGE: Lizzie —

Lizzie heard the scraping of the chair on the tile floor. She heard Darcy sitting down in the chair. And she was surprised when he asked her: "What did that bastard do to you?" His voice was soft, and kind, yet had an edge to it that she found quite admiring. What was it? Hate? Loathing? Something angry, he put the emphasis on 'bastard' so it has to be negative.

"You don't know?" She was terrified of the nightmares he had caused her.

"No." It wasn't stiff, or sharp, or anything like what she had ever heard from Darcy in the past.

"I don't know exactly either. Do you just want to see?" Her voice shook.

"See what?" She heard him lean his elbows or hands on his knees.

"This." She slowly turned and showed him her face. One eye was swollen shut, the other just black and blue, she had finger marks on her neck and a cut running down the center of her forehead. Her lips were both swollen broken in several areas and her cheeks were bruised as well, and stained with tears. She had made her sister show her when she was visiting, and now she wished she hadn't seen her own face.

Will's hands dropped and she could tell he wanted to make her pain stop. It was in his eyes. She had already chosen to forgive him when she heard Georgiana and Fitz on the phone. She might have been angry at him, but she had forgiven. Now, him sitting there staring at her with so much pain in his eyes, she was starting to feel something else. She noticed his hands perched on the edge of the bed and she slowly slid one of her hands over to graze his fingers with hers. Her knuckles were bruised from punching, and he looked at them like he was going to cry. There was a long silence in the room.

Darcy broke the silence with a whisper. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"For what?" She loosely wrapped her fingers around his.

"For letting this happen." His voice cracked.

"This didn't happen because of you. This happened because of him." She managed not to croak the first part, not so much the second. The just sat there for a while with their fingers tightening around each others. She felt herself drifting to sleep and her grip tightened quickly.

"What's wrong?" Darcy's hands covered hers.

"I don't want to sleep." He pats her hand.

"But thats what you need, Elizabeth." She loved the way he said her name. He got up to leave, almost letting go of her hand.

"But when I sleep. I see." She took a sharp breath in and winced a little at the pain it caused. "The dreams." He sat back down in the chair.

"Do you want me to stay?" His hands turned into more of a protective ball. She nodded. "Then I'll stay." He moved the chair closer to the bed and sigh as he settled into a more comfortable position. She smiled as much as her face would allow.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"I just wish I could do more." She smiled a little more, causing herself a little pain. She wiggled her hand so it was holding one of his and tightened her grip. And then she fell asleep.