A/N: Thanks once again to silhouettedswallow!

Thank you to EVERYONE (especially Guest reviewers, to whom it would appear I cannot reply when I post those reviews) for reviews, reblogs, PM's, and more.

I swear I've not abandoned "Music of Our Lives," as a couple folks wondered. I'm just kind of sucked into this one at the moment, but will try to get back there very soon!

xx,

CSotA

Though they talked for hours, it seemed only minutes. Elsie worried at how excited Mr. Carson became as the morning progressed, but the nurse who stopped in sporadically to monitor his heart and medication didn't seem concerned; in fact, at one point the nurse commented that she was happy to see him on the mend.

"That's all due to this woman right here," he replied as he tapped the top of Elsie's hand. "I've been waiting ages for her to be able to come."

"Well, Mr. Carson," Elsie teased, "you weren't terribly specific with names." She looked down at the blanket on his bed then, fiddling with a loose thread, and whispered, "Everyone knows I'm not your wife."

"Yes, well," he said sadly, "I'm sorry for that."

Elsie's head shot up again, looking intently into his eyes. Sorry for WHAT, she wondered. For the confusion … or for the fact that I'm not his wife?

Before Charles could answer the question he'd seen in her eyes, Dr. Gill entered the room. "Mr. Carson, I hear you've continued to do well today," he said jovially. "I wondered if we could speak privately for a few moments before I go home for the afternoon."

"Anything you need to say can be said with Elsie present," Charles answered softly. "After all, I hope she'll be the one managing my care once I return to the Abbey." He looked tenderly at her, adding, "She always has."

Elsie felt herself blush from the bottom of her neck straight on up to the roots of her hair. "Mr. Carson," she started, "it's quite possible that the doctor wishes to speak to you of things of a relatively delicate nature …"

"Oh, not at all, Mrs. Hughes," Dr. Gill responded, cutting her off. "No, I simply wish to speak to Mr. Carson about how his care will be managed once he's discharged from the hospital, which may well be in the next couple of days. Perhaps it would be better for you to remain."

"Well, if you say so," Elsie agreed hesitantly, "then that's what we'll do." She gave them both a firm nod, meant to convince herself as much as them that she'd be up to the task. "What is the plan, Doctor?"

oOoOoOoOoOo

After listening to the doctor's suggestions (and offering a few ideas of her own), Elsie found Lady Mary sitting in the waiting room. As the young Lady looked up, Elsie smiled at her. "It appears that Mr. Carson will be returning to Downton in two days' time, barring any unforeseen complications. His pain is manageable without medication most of the time, and Dr. Gill doesn't seem to think he'll need any medication after being discharged."

"That's wonderful news!" Mary exclaimed. "And his follow-up care? Surely he won't be able to resume his duties immediately."

"No," Elsie admitted, "but Dr. Gill feels that Mr. Carson will be faster to recover once he's in his own home, surrounded by everyone he knows. He will be unable to serve at table for at least a week following his return, as he's on lifting restrictions due to the rib fractures. Dr. Clarkson will, of course, resume as Mr. Carson's physician, and will need to clear him medically prior to allowing him to return to the full scope of his job. But Mr. Carson will be able to do the non-physical aspects of his job, the things such as bookkeeping and the managing of the male staff." She paused, then added, "I'm to help him reacclimatize himself to the more detailed aspects of his job, in any way that he feels is needed. Dr. Gill was quite insistent about that, about Mr. Carson not simply being 'thrown to the wolves,' as he put it."

Mary nodded hesitantly. The mysteries of how, precisely, Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes managed the downstairs were a puzzle to her, as they were to most of the family, she reckoned, save perhaps for Tom Branson. "Of course. And youwill certainly let us know of anything that might make this entire transition easier, won't you?"

"That is my intention, Milady. I would like to return to Downton tomorrow, if it's possible, in order to meet with Her Ladyship and discuss the details of how the staffing schedules can be shifted to make this as easy a process as we can." And to warn the staff about what they should expect, particularly Mr. Barrow.

"Excellent. I'll telephone as soon as we've arrived back at Grantham House."

oOoOoOoOoOo

Elsie stepped off the train and – once again – found a member of the family awaiting her arrival.

"Mr. Branson!" she exclaimed, genuinely happy to see him. "Oh, you didn't have to make a special trip to pick me up!"

"Nonsense, Mrs. Hughes, it's my pleasure. Besides," he added mischievously, "I'd like to be the first to get the 'scoop.'" He smiled broadly, and she knew that he recognized her relief that Mr. Carson was, in fact, better and returning to his work.

"Well, I'm not sure how much I can tell you," she sighed. They headed toward the car and she began to fill him in on what she knew, explaining the restricted duties that would be required and the ins and outs of rearranging the staff's responsibilities somewhat in order to accommodate everything.

"It sounds as though you've thought of everything– which does not surprise me one bit, Mrs. Hughes." He chuckled, then added, "We all know who really runs that house, and it most certainly is not my mother-in-law." They reached the car, and Tom easily hefted Elsie's suitcase onto the back, tying it securely down, and looked at her with a boyish grin. "So … his wife, hm?"

Elsie just shook her head and smirked, half embarrassed for his cheek and half grateful for it. Oh, Mr. Branson, she thought fondly, Lady Sybil certainly found a kindred spirit in you, bless her soul. Kind, honest, witty … and too forward at times! It was no secret that the downstairs staff still struggled with how to interact with this chauffeur-turned-family-member who was now an employee of the estate once again, but Elsie had seen something special in him since he'd arrived at the Abbey years ago. She'd seen an intelligent young man, a fiery spirit who longed for more than what life had thrust his way. She'd felt a connection to that, knowing that he personified all the courage and desire for a different life that she'd seen in herself years ago. She struggled at times to remember what that courage and desire had felt like, given that she'd spent the last two decades stuffing it all back inside of herself – back into some deep-down, hard-to-reach place – but spending time with Mr. Branson always brought it bubbling back to the surface again.

"Well, he's been rather confused," she managed, "but we're getting there."

Tom shut the door behind her and climbed into the driver's seat. "Yes, that confusion about the daughter … poor Mr. Carson," he mused. "Do you think the demands of the house will be too much for him at first? I can try to keep the family at bay as much as possible … well, except for the Dowager, I'm sure."

"Well, I'm to meet with Her Ladyship later on this afternoon, and hopefully we'll come up with a general idea of how to make it all happen. Mr. Carson is able to recall His Lordship and Her Ladyship, Lady Violet, and myself. I do believe that once he's back in his pantry, sat at his desk, his mind will become flooded with other bits and pieces. He remembers how to perform his job, though, which is a godsend." She paused, unsure if the familiarity of the conversation had stretched into an improper area, but then just went with her gut, with the feeling that Mr. Branson could be a conduit between upstairs and down – helping, perhaps, in a way that she could not.

"I don't mind telling you, Mr. Branson, that I'm a bit nervous about that first day back. The first time at the servants' hall table, presiding over a meal. The first time he realizes that Mr. Barrow has been filling his role quite admirably. In many ways, things will likely feel normal before long; but in other ways, I fear that it will be as though Mr. Carson is meeting us all for the first time." She paused again, biting furiously on her lip. "Being butler at Downton is his entire life. Whatever will happen if he returns and finds that, somehow, that's no longer true?"

Tom nodded his head and hummed thoughtfully. "One day at a time, Mrs. Hughes," he said softly. "The sooner we get started on getting things back to normal, the more comfortable everyone will be."

They rode the rest of the way to the Abbey in silence, each thinking how different the place would be if Mr. Carson did, indeed, return a changed man. Elsie reached into her handbag and grasped the item she'd secreted away the other night: a photograph of Mr. Carson, one taken years ago, that she'd found stuffed in the back cover of the staff album. It showed him in slight profile, as if he'd moved to speak to someone the moment the photograph had been taken. He had the beginnings of a smile on his face, and it was quite unlike any other photos that were in the book. She'd taken it without a second thought, had placed it in her bag swiftly. She held it now and then as though it were a talisman, one that represented her belief that Mr. Carson – Charles – would fully return to them, to her, at last.