Author's Note: I'll be honest, I'm a little disappointed. Two new chapters, three chapters rewritten, and not ONE review? Come on, guys, I know people are reading this because I've seen followers and notifications rise… so please, please PLEASE leave a review!
She couldn't have been out for more than a few minutes. When she awoke Bertie was fanning her with his hat, and Tom was still holding George. Henry was nowhere to be seen. "What – what happened?"
"You fainted," Tom said, unwilling to put down his nephew, although the cuts on George's legs were bleeding all over.
"George!" Mary gasped, seeing her son.
"Easy," Bertie said, helping Mary to sit up.
She couldn't hold her impatience, even as Bertie steadied her. "Tom, is he alright?"
"Minus some bad scrapes and the shock of a lifetime, he's fine," Tom soothed her and brought her son to the ground so she could hold him.
"Sit quietly for a moment," Edith advised. "I'll have some water fetched for you…"
"No!" Mary rocked her only child in her arms. "I don't need water. Just give me a moment!" She let the tears come into her eyes. All of her shields were down. She just clung tightly to her little boy and offered up prayer after prayer that he was alright.
The pain of George's cut legs were stinging him and that together with the shock of what had just happened left the young boy crying his eyes out.
"George, darling, Mummy loves you. Mummy loves you so very much!" she clung so tightly to him that he was soon squirming to be free.
"Mummy, my legs! They hurt!" he wailed.
"I'll bet they do," Edith said, glancing at the cuts. "What do you think, Bertie?" she asked.
"They're going to need stitches," Bertie answered. It was only then that Mary looked down and realized that both she and Tom had blood on their clothes. She had been so relieved that her son was not hit by the car that she hadn't noticed how badly his legs had been injured.
"Yes, I think you're right," Tom agreed. Mary still clung to her son protectively. "Come on, Mary. I'll drive you both to the village."
Mary looked down stupidly for a moment. Without thinking Tom leaned down and helped Mary to her feet, knowing she couldn't put down George now if her life depended on it. Bertie instantly helped her from the other side and between the two of them they got Mary and George into the car. Within minutes Tom sped off.
"Well," Edith said as they watched the car depart, "I'm guessing you didn't anticipate quite the excitement in Yorkshire."
Bertie smiled. "He's a sturdy little chap, I'm sure he'll be alright."
"And Mary?" Edith asked as they watched the car disappear from sight.
"You do care," Bertie gave her a knowing smile. Edith couldn't help but smile a little.
"That was a heart attack none of us needed," she said as they turned back to the house.
"Yes, but it has a happy ending. Thanks to your brother-in-law."
"Yes," Edith nodded. "Thanks to Tom."
As the car sped along towards the village Mary started to feel her senses coming back to her. She loosened her grip around her son, much to George's relief. She looked over at Tom, who was concentrating on the drive ahead.
"Where did Henry go?" she asked, almost absent mindedly.
"Oh, Henry," Tom smiled a bit, despite the strain of the last few minutes. "Poor bloke, he felt damned awkward about what happened. He made sure you were alright then politely excused himself."
"It wasn't his fault," Mary said, looking out the windows. George had stopped crying for the moment and she and Tom drove on in companionable silence for a minute.
"Thank you, Tom."
"For what?" he asked, making a turn.
"For what?" she repeated in amazement. "For saving George! God only knows, if you hadn't been there..." she started to lose her breath at the memory.
"Don't go down that road, Mary," he said, looking at her. "I was there. And somehow I managed to be fast enough."
"I don't know how you managed to do it," she said, kissing her son's head. "You must have cleared 50 yards in 4 seconds."
"Do you really want to know how I did it?" he asked.
"You can explain it?"
"I think I can. I think Matthew helped." There, he'd said it aloud. That power that had taken over his body and made him react so quickly. He'd given it a name. He wasn't sure how Mary would react, but to his surprise, she smiled.
"Matthew," she repeated, not questioning his answer at all.
"I think he saw to it that I would reach his son in time."
"I believe you," she said.