I know I said I wasn't going to update until All You Had To Do Was Stay was completed, but I changed my mind and decided to go head and post the next chapter. Thank you for the support.

Chapter 2

John was too far behind Mrs. Hughes. No matter how fast he tried to carry himself, he couldn't keep up. But there was a deep sense of dread flowing through him. Fear consumed him. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest. He had to get to Anna. He needed to get to her.

He watched helplessly from a distance as Mrs. Hughes pushed open Anna's bedroom door. As the piercing cry for help left Mrs. Hughes' lips, John's body stilled, before he propelled himself as quickly as he could toward his wife.

Entering the room, he saw Mrs. Hughes now sitting on the floor next to Anna. His stomach lurched. She lied so deathly still on the floor with nearly translucent skin and blue lips. She was curled to one side, with vomit next to her face. Mrs. Hughes was trying to turn Anna onto her back and searching for any signs of life.

John fell down next to her, placing his hands on his wife's cheeks.

"Anna," he painfully murmured. "My darling, Anna." Tears slipped from his eyes, but he barely registered it.

"She…she's breathing," Mrs. Hughes broke in.

And there it was, a harsh ragged breath left Anna's lips. It was shallow and John didn't know how much time they had before those breaths would stop. Her body was cold against his touch.

"I…I thought she was doing better," Mrs. Hughes cried out, her hands trying to do something to help Anna.

"You knew she was going to do this?" John accused, his voice full of venom.

"No!" Mrs. Hughes frantically promised. "No! I…I didn't!"

"Go get help and get away from my wife," John seethed. His eyes met Mrs. Hughes' eyes and he could see the terror staring back at him. "Go!"

Mrs. Hughes gathered herself off the floor and nearly fell over, but John didn't make any attempts to help her. All of his attention was back on his wife, who was fading quickly beneath his hands.

"Anna," John whimpered, more tears flowing freely. "Anna, my darling. My darling, Anna. Why…." A sob left his lips. He pulled her closer to him, trying to give her some of his strength to make it through this.

His eyes caught a flash of white on the small table beside him. Looking over at it, John realized that it was a letter. He grabbed it to see his name written in the most beautiful letters. It was Anna's handwriting. She had written him a goodbye. His breath hitched in his throat.

"Oh Anna," he sobbed, his hand brushing over her cheek. "Please, don't leave me."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Dr. Clarkson arrived at Downton Abbey rather quickly. They were all very fortunate that he was already stopping by to check on Ms. Patmore since her episode a few months ago.

He was sent right upstairs to Anna's room, with little told to him about her condition. All he had been told was that she was ill.

When he stepped into the small bedroom, his face grew grim. John was holding his wife in his lap and soothing her cheek with his thumb. Upon hearing Dr. Clarkson, he glanced up and met his eyes.

"She….she must have accidently took too many pills," John gruffly stated, clearing his throat. There was a medicine bottle lying next to Anna's head.

Dr. Clarkson immediately bent over and lifted up the bottle. Seeing the contents, he blanched. But he swallowed hard and nodded. He would play along that this was an accident. Whatever led Anna to take these desperate steps, having her arrested for this crime would surely do her in.

"Yes," he uneasily replied. "Quite the accident, indeed. Get her on the bed."

Dr. Clarkson put his bag down on the small side table and began pulling out the things he would need, while John placed Anna under the covers.

"Thank you, Mr. Bates. Now, if you'll leave me alone with your wife."

"But…."

"Mr. Bates, I need to be able to help your wife. She's in good hands."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Elsie sat in the chair in her parlor, her hands clasped firmly together. All she could see was Anna's pale, deathly face. If they lost her, she would never be able to forgive herself. How could she have believed that Anna was on the mend? How could she have been so foolish?

A tear slipped down her cheek. She bent her head over to pray, when she heard some harsh sounds outside her door.

"Let me by, Mr. Carson," John Bates' growled. Elsie stood and went to stand by her door, opening it slightly so she could see what transpired.

"Mr. Bates, I do not know what has happened. However, you will not head into Mrs. Hughes' parlor like this."

"With all due respect, Mr. Carson, I need to speak with Mrs. Hughes. I need to know why my wife….." his words faded, and he closed his eyes sharply for a moment. Then he continued. "I need to know why she didn't tell me.'

"You will calm yourself first."

"I will do…"

"It's alright," Elsie said, widening her door. Mr. Carson was still protecting her doorway, but Elsie stepped between him and Mr. Bates. "I do need to speak with Mr. Bates. I'll be alright, Mr. Carson."

Mr. Carson looked Mr. Bates up and down, as if he wasn't so sure. However, he nodded, but did make sure to tell Mr. Bates that he would be right down the hallway. This didn't seem to bother Mr. Bates at all and he followed Elsie back into her parlor.

Elsie wondered if she shouldn't offer Mr. Bates a chair. But Mr. Bates was pacing, his forehead creased and his cheeks reddened.

"How is Anna?" Elsie finally asked, needing to know about Anna's state.

"Dr. Clarkson says she'll live," John said, still pacing and not looking at Elsie. "She….thankfully she threw up some of the concoction that she took and we found her in time, before…." He paused his words and stopped in his tracks.

"Thank god," Elsie nearly cried.

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened and how my wife got to this desperate state and why you didn't tell me. Why you let her do this," his voice was firm, unrelenting.

"I didn't let her," Elsie tried to swear. "I thought she was finally going to tell you. She told me that she was going to tell you!"

Elsie watched as John's hand fell to the pocket in his jacket, a painful look covering his face.

"What was she supposed to tell me, Mrs. Hughes?"

Elsie inhaled sharply. "We should probably sit."

"I don't want to sit. I want to know what happened to my wife. I want to know why she changed, why she did this."

"Very well," Elsie replied. She brought her hands together in front of herself and squeezed them tightly, in an attempt to calm her nerves. Elsie had never been afraid of Mr. Bates before. Today, she was. "Anna did not faint the night of the house party."

"I gathered that much. What did happen?"

"Mr. Bates….Anna was attacked. She was….she was raped."

Elsie had to watch as Mr. Bates nearly crumbled before her. He faltered back and hit the wall, pressing his hand against his face, as a loud gasp left his lips. Slowly, he glanced up at Elsie, his hand falling only slightly.

"By who?" He roared. "Who did this to her?"

Elsie swallowed hard. This had been Anna's biggest fear, for Mr. Bates to know who her attacker was and go after him. But Elsie knew she could no longer lie to Mr. Bates.

"Mr. Green."

Mr. Bates' face grew scarlet and he stood up stronger, curving his hands into tight fists.

"That bastard. That…that…." He turned his head away from Elsie, ducking it down. Yet, it didn't keep Elsie from seeing the fresh tears falling down Mr. Bates' cheeks. "Why…" his voice was quiet now, full of defeat. "Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't you?" The accusation made Elsie's breath get caught in her throat.

"She….she didn't want you to know. She was afraid of how you might react," Elsie tried to explain. "I tried to get her to tell you. And last night…she told me she was going to tell you."

"Then why did you know? How did you know to rush upstairs?"

"Mr. Bates, a little while back, I asked Anna what she would do if she was with child and she told me, with complete certainty, that she would kill herself."

The redness drained from Mr. Bates' face.

"She….she's pregnant? She's pregnant with Mr. Green's child?"

"I can't be certain," Elsie told him. "Only, when I asked her if there was no child last night, she said there would not be one. I had thought…" Elsie's voice faded.

Mr. Bates ran his hand over his face and let out a loud, shuddering breath. "And you never told me, any of this. You saw how much she was hurting. She had even told you she might kill herself and you never once told me."

"I never believed…."

"Don't," Mr. Bates warned. "You're not allowed near my wife, ever. I don't want you near her."

Elsie attempted to say something else, but Mr. Bates was already out the door. She clutched her hand in front of her chest and a shaky breath escaped her lips.

"Mrs. Hughes," Mr. Carson's kind voice made her look up. He appeared concerned and worried for her. He stepped further into her parlor, closing the door behind him. "What's happened? There is more to this than Anna being ill, isn't there?"

All Elsie could do was nod. With careful steps, Mr. Carson moved toward her, placing his hand upon her shoulder.

"It's all my fault," Elsie moaned, sniffling. "Anna nearly died and it's my fault."

"I sincerely doubt that," Mr. Carson lovingly stated. "I'm sure you did all you could to help her, whatever she's been through. Sometimes, we can't save the ones we love."

At that, Elsie collapsed against Mr. Carson and began to sob.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Do you know if she's with child?" John quietly asked Dr. Clarkson, right outside of the small bedroom. John was sure he wasn't supposed to be in this hallway, but he found he didn't care. He would remain in the maid's quarters until his wife was ready to go to the cottage. If Mr. Carson or Mrs. Hughes dared to say anything about it, he would quit right then and there.

"I…I couldn't tell you right now, Mr. Bates," Dr. Clarkson replied. "She's not bleeding. So if she is pregnant, then she likely still is. That is not to say that this accidental overdose couldn't cause her to lose the pregnancy." The way Dr. Clarkson said accidental made John's back stiffen. They both knew that there was nothing accidental about any of this. But John was grateful that Dr. Clarkson was going to keep her attempted suicide under wraps. "It's too early to say. She is asleep and should be for a while. I have given her something to help. I've also given her something to hydrate her. When she awakes, focus on getting fluids in her. The biggest risk now is her dehydration. She will likely be in some pain, headaches and cramping. The fluids should help."

"Thank you, Dr. Clarkson."

"I will be back this evening to check on her progress."

John nodded.

After Dr. Clarkson walked away, John slipped into the bedroom. It had been cleaned up, though he couldn't tell you who had done it. Anna had also been changed into a clean nightgown. She had a bit more pink to her cheeks, but she still appeared near death's door. His heart clinched. He felt completely useless, a failure.

Slowly, he pulled Anna's hand over to rest within his own and held it tightly.

"It's alright now, my darling. I know. I know and we're going to make it through this, together. I will be here to bring you through this. I love you, Anna."

TBC...