A/N: "Say Something" is my chosen musical accompaniment for the beginning of this story, for … well, reasons. It's on my Spotify account (ChelsieSouloftheAbbey) in the "Chelsie Potpourri" playlist, and it'll get us through the first five or so chapters.

Thanks to silhouettedswallow for beta reading!

Several reviews commented on the nature of the Carson/Hughes relationship in this story. This fic starts just after the CS of Season FOUR … so no proposal, no cottage that has been purchased. That's rather important, so I wanted to highlight it here.

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Cora slid her hand into Robert's as they climbed the steps to the hospital. How could this have happened? We've traveled that train rail for YEARS without a hint of trouble! She was exhausted from all the travel, but Mary and Tom had both been needed back at Downton for business, and it was rather nice to sleep in her usual bed after months away. Somehow, Grantham House was just not home, and Cora and Robert had both felt the need to be at Downton last night. They'd left Lady Rose and a skeleton staff at Grantham House in case, by some mistake, the hospital had phoned there instead of to the Abbey. Despite her fatigue from the hours of back-and-forth travel, she knew it had been the right decision the moment she'd locked eyes with her housekeeper.

Robert squeezed his wife's hand and took a moment to gaze at her face. My God … Carson. I can't believe this is happening, but thank goodness Cora is here to steady me. He smiled and gave her a brief nod, which she returned, both realizing that the smiles didn't quite make it to their eyes. They each took a calming breath before finally entering the hospital doors.

Inside, the waiting area was a beehive of activity, staff running about so fast that it was hard for either Robert or Cora to grasp where, specifically, they should go. A break in the milling crowd showed a window with a nurse who looked every bit the matron-in-charge stationed behind it. They headed swiftly to that window, and the woman's eyes widened as she took in their bearing and state of dress.

"Yes? May I be of assistance?" the woman asked, clearly deferring to those of high station but unsure as to whom, precisely, she was speaking.

"If you could, please. I am the Earl of Grantham, and my butler was among the passengers on the train that derailed two days ago. The authorities telephoned to tell me about the accident and they said that, if he had survived, he'd be transported here. I telephoned that evening and was told that he did survive and was indeed one of your patients, but that no further information would be available until today. His name is Charles Carson." Robert managed to get all of that out without rushing his words whatsoever, something about which he was quite proud. Another squeeze of support from Cora's hand, which uncharacteristically remained intertwined with his own despite them standing in so public a place, and he felt his strength rise a bit once again. That strength was coming sporadically and in small doses, to be sure, but it proved adequate for now.

"Yes, Milord, I will check on that for you. I do apologize, but only this main waiting area is available to you. We are a bit crammed for space at the moment," the woman said, her professional manner enabling her to bury her embarrassment at sending a Lord and Lady into the throngs of the general population to wait for news.

"We understand completely," Cora spoke up, an honest kindness in her voice. "I'm sure the past couple of days have been just awful for you all. We'll be just over there," she said, indicating some empty chairs on the other side of the room, "and thank you."

The matron nodded, turning away to see what she could find out. Strange lot, that. What kind of Lord and Lady come in person to a public hospital to find out the condition of a staff member? Very odd, indeed.

Robert and Cora took seats in the far corner, her hand still unwilling to leave his for an instant.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham? I am Dr. Gill. I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting so long. Would you come with me, please?"

"Yes, of course." Robert and Cora rose simultaneously. They'd been waiting almost three hours, Robert fidgeting and sitting in near-silence the entire time. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was like Matthew all over again, but without the joy of a newborn to offset the fear. In some ways, though, this fear was worse, for despite the fact that he knew Carson was alive, Robert never did well with the unknown.

The sound of their footsteps barely echoed in the corridor despite the hard flooring and concrete walls; the place was teeming with activity. There were patients on gurneys everywhere, spilling out into the hallway in various states of agony. Nurses and doctors were seen flitting about with charts, tags, kind words, and worried glances. Robert and Cora looked nervously at one another, suddenly grasping the severity of the entire situation: the massive amount of people that had come in, and the knowledge that this was but one of the hospitals to which the wounded had been transported … and that those who'd died weren't even here at all.

Dr. Gill led them to a relatively clean office that was tucked away in the back of the hospital. Cora's eyes combed the room, taking in the sparseness of decoration, the family photograph on the desk. He has children, she thought. How lovely. She shook her head, trying to focus on the matter at hand and finding it incredibly difficult to do so.

"Carson?" Robert uttered. "Clearly he is here, but howis he doing?"

"Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, I'm afraid the news I have for you is not altogether good. Mr. Carson is, indeed, alive, but there are some … complications to his condition of which I must make you aware."

"Complications?" Cora whispered. "What sort of complications?" Her mind was racing, images and words about missing limbs, blindness, disfigurement, burns … all flashing through it the flick of a second.

"Mr. Carson appears to have amnesia," Dr. Gill stated. As he said the words, he saw the look of utter relief pass across the face of the woman before him, and the realization that was dawning in the eyes of her husband. Ah, yes … the Earl of Grantham. He's seen a war … he understands.

Robert nodded. "I see," he said slowly. "And what is his prognosis?"

Dr. Gill took a deep breath. "Well, as I'm sure Your Lordship is aware, amnesia can be a tricky thing. It is common to experience a temporary loss of memory following any severe trauma. Mr. Carson was quite lucky in that the car he was in remained on the train track and the fire did not reach that far before everyone was evacuated; however, he was found unconscious in the main aisle of the car with a rather nasty gash in his head. He's got quite a concussion, and will be laid up for at least three more days here in hospital. But the most pressing issue at this time is the memory loss itself." The doctor paused, unsure of how to phrase the rest of it delicately. "Mr. Carson has no recollection of who he truly is. He knows his name, knows what year it is, and knows – of all things – the controlling party in Parliament."

Robert and Cora both smiled at that. "Yes, he would," said Robert with a chuckle.

"However," Dr. Gill continued, "he could not tell me how he is currently employed. He has no idea who the Earl of Grantham is. He's no idea how he came to be on that train, does not recognize that he lives in Downton – although he knows he's a Yorkshire man – and he asks that he be able to … well, as he's your butler, this is rather awkward …"

"He asks that he be able to what, Doctor?" asked Cora.

The doctor looked Robert straight in the eyes, trying to draw on the man's sensibilities as a former soldier, as one who understands that memory loss is a much less-severe thing than memory rewriting, as it were.

"He is demanding to speak to his family. Specifically, he has requested to see his … daughter."

Suddenly a nurse rushed into the doctor's office. "Dr. Gill, you're needed immediately in Room 34."

He looked at Robert and Cora, not willing to believe the irony of the situation. "Please, remain here. That is the room to which Mr. Carson is currently assigned. I'll return as soon as I can."

The doctor ran out of the room, barely steps behind the nurse, as Robert reached out once again for Cora's hand, squeezing all of the feeling out of it in seconds.

So yeah ... amnesia. Hmmm, gonna be interesting! Thanks for all your reviews and reblogs, they mean a lot to me and I enjoy reading and discussing all of your questions and comments. :)