How good does it feel to be writing again! I have missed my story and thank you reviewers, you guys are awesome!

Disclaimer: I do not and never will own Becoming Jane and it's wonderful characters.

~paperbackwriter9

Jane's P.O.V

Quickly, Mr. Warren scrambled and left the room, barely able to say a proper hello to Tom. Henry walked in and raised his eyebrows. "Does that odd fellow still come to call on you Jane?" The silence in the room was strong but I could not answer Henry as I stared at Tom.

"Ye- yes," Cassie said and cleared her throat. "I'll just, Jane, I-" She stopped and looked at me and smiled. Maybe there was a sign of life on my face that she could finally see. Like a small child, she tip toed out of the room and Henry laughed and sat on a chair.

Through the chaos, Tom stood there, with a small crease between his eyebrows. "Get on with it now," Henry said, "do I need to introduce you to my sister?"

"No, I remember her quite well," he said and his voice was crystal clear, just like the last time I saw him. "Hello Jane," and the crease disappeared and a smile came through his odd expression.

"Hello Tom," I said with the feeling of joy seeping out of me. Now fresh questions ran through my brain and made me feel nervous. Was he married? Why was he here? And how horrible did he think I looked?

Henry cleared his throat and stood, "Well have a nice chat, I'm off to see my Eliza," and with one smile and wink at me he left the room. Awkwardness settled on top of us and he sat down on the chair. I cleared my throat and he shot up and came to the bedside.

"Jane," his eyes were starting to fill with tears, "I'm sorry... I should have came earlier." He stared down at me and looked me over and I felt embarrassed and flushed all at once.

"It is not your fault Tom," I whispered, "You married and did what you had to do." My heart ached at the thought of freedom he had. He could bare to be in sight of me and had a wife at home in London. "Why are you here?" I asked in a small voice feeling my heart rip at the seams. The author in me noted this as an helpless and twisted emotion that I could use in a story, and I felt tears.

Tom scoffed and looked at me with a puzzled gleam in his eye. "To see you of course. Henry found me and told me..." He motioned to my limp body laying on the bed. "I love you Jane."

My eyes spilled with tears and he sat on the bed next to me. Stroking my face, Tom whispered comforting words, "Stop!" I said and he dropped his hand to the bed side.

"Jane I don't understand-" He acted as if he had missed my previous statement of him being married. How could Tom not see the shock of his presence written across my face?

"I asked you why your here... and your... married..." It was still hard to talk and breathe all at once.

"I am not married, and my uncle passed away along time ago Jane," and he said this with hope in his voice, and hope returned to me. "I have wanted you since you left me. You put so many doubts in my mind, I can not stop thinking about you! When you left me you said it was for my family, but as time went on and years passed I began to wonder if you left me because of me. Had I done something wrong? I replayed every encounter we had before that day you told me goodbye. I have not returned sooner due to the fact that I thought you did not love me, and moved on-"

Tom was still in love with me? Even after all these years my Tom had not remarried someone and I had had no reason to worry. "Tom, if only you had come sooner, I might not of been sick-"

"How come?" His blue eyes were wide and I could not look away as if he was pulling me in.

"I fell asleep in the forest, because I was so upset over you. Luckily Henry found me before I froze to death," Tom's eyes grew with worry but all I felt was embarrassment as I admitted my story.

"If only I had indeed come sooner..."

For this next bit, I had to breathe in and out deeply. "Tom, if I... if I die... at least I shall know that you... loved me... until the end..." My heart felt like it was torn in two and the yearning for life made my body feel a rush of courage. "I love you Tom, and I am sorry for... everything-"

"Jane, you shall not die," and Tom took my hand and raised it to his lips, "if you had never become sick, I might have never come because I was certainly not strong enough to come here on my own. Henry had to tell me you were sick to bring me here. You must get better Jane, we shall be together for the rest of our lives after you become healthy again." Tom's voice was full of confidence and hope, so much that I felt the urge to sit up.

As I pushed myself up slightly higher he smiled and I did too. Now I was high enough to see out the small window and admire the outside world.

The midday sun came in through the window, and made his face lovely than my dreams. Being able to touch him and know that he was real, made the past five years disappear as if they were some horrible nightmare.

It was going to be winter soon enough, and the ground was beginning to harden and the leaves had fallen from their trees. Just maybe this winter was going to give me hope, instead of throwing me into my previous hibernation as last year had.

"Tom-" A coughing fit came with his name and he called out for anyone. Henry, Cassie, Eliza, and both my mother and father came running into the small room. The need to breathe was the strongest I had felt since I first fell ill. "Wa- ter-" I whispered out in a raspy voice and Eliza disappeared into the kitchen.

"What should I do?" Tom said and turned to Henry. There was fear in his voice and fear in his eyes.

"The doctor," Henry said and my mother said something but I could not hear as my stomach lurched and I heaved my breakfast into the waste basket besides my bed. Cassie's hand was on my back and Eliza came in with the water.

"Mama," Cassie said with fear, "look," and as I lay down, everyone looked and became quiet. What had happened? I looked down at the waste basket and there was a small amount of blood.

"Henry, the doctor, now," my father whispered and Henry and Tom began leaving the room.

"Tom-" I mumurmered and he came back quickly.

Tom smiled a small smile, "I shall return soon my love," and he kissed my forehead. The hopeless feeling settled into my body again. Cassie and Eliza sat down next to me as my mother paced around the room. As the three began talking, I slipped into sleep.

Cassie's P.O.V

The men had returned as night fell and Henry and Tom fell into the chairs with mud on their faces and weariness radiating from their bodies. Mama brought food which they had gobbled up. Eliza urged them to rest as the doctor examined Jane.

Poor Tom Lefroy, Jane was worse and he had not even seen her for one good hour. My heart ached for them both, and my wishes went to Jane and her recovery.

Tom persisted that he should be in the room with her, but he fell asleep on the chair outside the room before he could even lift a finger. Henry had only been able to stay awake for an hour more than Tom before he dozed off. Eliza had retired to her bed, and my mother had to pry herself from Jane's bedside due to a panic attack. Father was left with me, pacing outside the room.

The doctor quietly entered into the hallway with us. His face was grave, "I need to let out some of her blood," and he shook his head as he went back into the room. Father stopped moving and became silent.

"Retire to bed papa, all will be well," and my father shook his head no but headed up the stairs without one word. I knocked on the door and the doctor said a faint come in. He looked up at me and offered a smile, but I was unable to return it. There lay my dear Jane, bathed in candle light with sweat on her forehead, and her arm over a bowl... filled with her blood. I felt a reflex to gag, but the smile on her sleeping face made me not turn away with tears.

Hopefully she was dreaming sweet dreams, with her recovery and Tom. I had not heard him enter, but the intake of air drew the doctor and my attention to Tom behind me. "Jane," he said and walked up to her. "Jane," his broken voice whispered again.

My heart broke for him and I felt the tears rush out of my eyes, and his began to water as well. His eyes searched her almost lifeless body and he sunk to the floor. I sat trying to remember a happier time, when no one was ill and all was well. But as Tom sobbed quietly from his lack of sleep and the sadness, and Jane laying on the bed, arm dripping with blood, I could not remember such a time.

Wow, what a dark cliff hanger. Surprisingly I was listening to happy songs as I wrote this, songs from Slumdog Millionaire.

First off, I don't have a certain illness in mind. I'm kind of going off of what I saw in Sense and Sensibility. If you haven't watched it, it's based off of one of Jane Austen's books, and it's one of my favorites.

Thanks for reading.

Updates sooner as summer comes closer. =)