Epilogue

Downton 1917

She is woken up by a knock on her door. The only person who would knock on her door at 4 am is her son, so she worries that he might have had another nightmare. His father is still at the hospital and although his father is doing rather well, the boy can't get the pictures of him at the hospital out of his head. She opens the door but it isn't her son who is standing on the other side of it.

"Mary", she says and by the look on her sister's face she knows that something terribly must have happened.

"He's been hurt. Papa has just had a telegram and Matthew's been hurt. They don't know if he will make it." Her sister is as pale as a sheet and she feels terrible for her. She thought she would lose her mind when they told her that Anthony had been hurt but they had at least been able to tell her that he would survive right away. This is so much worse.

"Oh Mary, I am so sorry for you. Are they bringing him here?"

"Yes. But Papa didn't know when he would be here. He said he'd call the war office tomorrow morning. Edith, I don't know how to get through this."

"I know. It's horrible." She puts her arms around her sister and just holds her. Mary breaks down in tears and she lets her cry.

"I can't live without him" her sister finally chokes out.

"Don't think about that now. He might survive. Dr. Clarkson knows what he is doing. Anthony has much better use of his arm now that we thought he'd ever have."

"I'm glad he came back safe and almost sound. You couldn't have lost another husband."

"No. It was bad enough losing Patrick. But at least we didn't have a child. I don't think I'd be able to raise Edward all by myself."

"Yes, you would be. You are the strongest person I know."

"No, Mary, I am not."

"Yes, you are. You went through so much and yet you are happy. You are happy now, aren't you?"

"Very happy. I thought I'd never be happy again after Patrick died. But now I am."

"When are you going home?"

"The day after tomorrow. They'll release Anthony from the hospital then. But we'll stay here if you like."

"Thank you. But you should go home with your husband and child. Will you come to the hospital with me when Matthew gets there? Please?"

"Of course. But you should sleep now."

"I can't sleep."

"Would you like to stay here? It helped me not to have to sleep by myself after the Titanic."

Mary only nods and lies down on her bed. She sits down next to her and strokes her back to calm her down. She feels so sorry for her older sister. She once thought that she hated Mary but she doesn't, she loves her. For a time she thought that Mary had actually been happy that Patrick had died because it had meant that Mary would become Countess of Grantham after all. But during the first few months that they were home after the Titanic, she realized this wasn't true. Mary did not want this. She did not want Patrick to die. And she had made her peace with her younger sister becoming the Countess long before the Titanic disaster. Edith still dreams of the Titanic. She used to dream of it every night for over a year and she kept blaming herself for Patrick's death. She didn't live anymore, she barely existed. But then Anthony came along. Her parents invited him to dinner for some reason she can't remember. He was so nice to her and he seemed to understand her. He had lost a wife. They fit together like two pieced of a puzzle. When Anthony proposed to her at that garden party he told her that she had given him a new life and he gave the same to her. Their son was born less than a year after their wedding. Anthony had joined Matthew and so many other men in France by that time but he came back shortly after the birth to meet his heir. He suggested she move back to Downton as long as he was away so she wouldn't be alone with Edward and she listened to him. It was a good decision because it made life easier for her and it brought her much, much closer to her older sister. They were in the same boat and they began to talk. Really talk. When she got the news that Anthony had been hurt it was Mary she looked to for comfort and now Mary has come to her. She prays that Matthew will survive because Matthew is a like a brother to her and she doesn't want to lose her only brother. She doesn't want Mary to lose her husband or George to lose his father. George is such a dear boy and she loves him almost as much as her own son.

"Edith?" Mary mumbles.

"Yes?"

"I have to throw up." She goes to her bathroom and gets something for Mary to use.

"I am sorry" Mary says.

"You are pregnant, aren't you?" she asks her sister. She has suspected this for a few weeks now because Mary has been looking sick for a while.

"Yes. I can't believe that Matthew was here, whole and happy and able to make a baby only four months ago. We wanted another baby before the war so much. And now that it has finally worked, Matthew might never get to see his child."

"You don't know that. That they are bringing him here is a good sign. If it was really bad they wouldn't put him on a boat. They'd treat him in France."

"You are probably right."

"Go to sleep Mary. You need to take care of yourself for the baby. Dream of telling Matthew about the baby. He will be so happy."

Her sisters are with her at the hospital. Sybil is waiting at the front door to direct the medics carrying the stretcher and Edith is holding her up right. When they bring Matthew in and she sees him she almost faints but Edith holds her and keeps talking to her. She has no idea what Edith is saying but her sister's soothing voice keeps her conscious. She helps Sybil clean Matthew up and Edith goes outside to keep their parents at bay. Their father is almost as mad with worry as she is but she and her sisters decided that she should be the first to talk to Matthew.

"Probable spinal damage" Sybil reads out.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know." She nods. It probably isn't good news.

She sits at Matthew's bed for hours and Edith stays with her all the time. She is so thankful to her sister. When Matthew opens his eyes she almost breaks down in tears. But she has to pull herself together.

"Matthew, darling", she says.

"Mary" he croaks out.

"I'm glad you are awake."

"Everything hurts Mary."

"I know."

"It's horrible Mary."

"I know."

"I can't stop thinking about the explosion. I know I've been dreaming about it the whole time. And I've had nightmares for weeks before that happened."

"Oh Matthew. I am so sorry for you."

"That doesn't really help me."

"No, I suppose not. But maybe I can make you smile."

"I doubt it."

"We are going to have another baby."

"That does make me smile. Oh Mary, that is wonderful news."

She leaves the room to give her sister and Matthew some privacy. She is glad beyond words that Matthew is back, even if they have no idea yet how badly he has been hurt. She goes in search of her own husband and finds him in the hospital garden. He puts his good arm around her waist and says "Matthew will make it then."

"Yes."

"Thank the heavens."

"Yes." She looks at her husband and gives him a kiss. She is so lucky to have him. "Are you ready to leave?"

"I am. Let's go home darling."

"Yes. Let's finally go home."