Hello all!

Some serious things are happening in this chapter. Let me know what you think is going to happen!

I hope you all are well. Thank you SO much to all the lovely people who sent me the kindest message for my last chapter, especially a guest that I cant write back to thank personally. It warms my heart and is the highlight of my day whenever I get a comment.

Much love,

xoxxo

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jane stood in front of the tall window at the end of the hall with Henry in her arms. The wind howelled violently outside, lashing squalls of snow against the windows so that it was difficult to see more than a few feet forward. Jane's mind was so panicked and so frightened that it was completely blank apart from her fear. She could not hold a thought in her head for longer than a few seconds before it was flooded with unimaginable possibilities. She closed her eyes quickly as if that would help shut out the weight pressing on her, but her thoughts were broken when Henry began to cry. For once, Jane was instantly frustrated with him.

"I need you to behave" she implored, rocking him as gently as she could with the panic building in her chest.

When she heard footsteps behind her, Jane turned quickly to look expectantly at Max, one of the boys to who she had just spoken to.

"His horse is not back yet, miss. It is also impossible to see any distance down the road, so it is difficult to see whether or not he approaches"

Jane nodded, turning back towards the window and then back to Max.

"We need to go out in search of him. I have a very bad feeling that he is not well, wherever he is. He would not take so long coming home on a night like this is there was not something wrong and we have not a minute to lose".

Max nodded,

"All the men on the estate, miss, are gathered and ready to leave. We need only saddle our horses. Those on Mr Eshton's estate have already been informed"

"And you will not be traveling alone? You go in pairs?"

"Yes miss, of course"

"There can be no other incidents tonight"

"We will be very safe miss" he said quickly before departing.

A few moments later, Jane watched as several men down below saddled horses and rode together with lanterns raised towards the darkening night. They were shortly followed by others and then more after that. Jane slipped down the wall onto the window seat, her eyes staring forward unseeingly. Mouth dry and a pounding pulse in her head, Jane tried to steady her breathing by focusing on it but in doing such she was only made hyperaware of how little control she had over herself.

"Miss? Will you come and have a cup of tea miss?"

"No, thank you Jenny"

"You may find it will relax you-"

"I will not be relaxed until I know where Edward is. Could you please bring me my coat Jenny?"

"Your coat miss?" she asked in exasperation, "You are not thinking of going outside, miss?"

"I am going. Please will you get my coat and ask one of the girls from downstairs to come to keep an eye on Henry?"

Jenny looked at Jane for a moment before turning and hurrying down the hall. Jane raised her son and kissed his cheek, holding him close.

"I'm sorry for being frustrated with you, my darling. I will be back to you soon, I promise".

Jane had not considered whether or not her husband would return when he had left. She hadn't even said a proper goodbye to him. She had been putting Henry down for his nap, and it had taken longer than normal, so when Edward left for Eshton's house he had only stuck his head and waved goodbye so as not to wake his son. What if that was it? What if that would be the last time she would ever have the chance to look upon his face?- no. That was Impossible.

Martha, one of the women downstairs, came up over the stairs and Jane passed over Henry.

"Thank you Martha"

"Of course, miss"

"I have your coat" Jenny called, holding it opened so Jane could step into it, "And some gloves and a scarf for you"

When Jane was dressed, she hastened downstairs but hesitated at the front door. She was torn between two distressing and impossible options. She wanted to go out into the night and find her husband at any cost, but she was 6 months pregnant with his child. If something happened to her, there would be two lives at risk instead of one, and Henry would have no one. But how could she stay? How could she stay and do nothing? How could she remain when he was out there- somewhere. And yet all she could do was walk, for she could not ride well enough on a good day to saddle a horse, let alone during a storm. How far could she truly walk in a storm? What good could she do by venturing out into the night with no way of traveling far?

At that moment, Jane saw a black mass moving up the drive. Confused, she stepped forward to see what it was, and when a carriage came into view and then to a stop, she watched Mr Eshton stepped out, eyes searching and anxious.

"Any news, Jane?"

She shook her head,

"I've come to offer whatever help I can, and Anne has come to stay with you"

"That is kind but I must go with you. I cannot remain here"

He shook his head,

"It is too dangerous. It is a disaster out there"

'Precisely. I need to find Edward"

"What would he say, Jane? He would be furious knowing you stepped out in this to find him".

"He does not get a say. Do you think Edward would wait here if it was I who was missing?"

Eshton paused, the answer so evident between them that he did not answer.

"I'm sorry. I will take you with myself".

Arriving at their side, Anne looked at her husband.

"Surely you are not going to take her out in this. Jane, you are pregnant-"

"Anne, I'm sure Jane would appreciate you looking after Henry", her husband said quickly, and if Jane had been looking she would have seen the meaningful look he gave her.

She nodded understandingly,

"Of course".

When she was inside, Eshton walked down the steps of the house and opened the carriage door for Jane to climb inside, but at that moment lights could be seen approaching in the distance, and Jane watched expectantly as it more clearly came into view.

"WE'VE GOT HIM" a man's voice called, barely audible over the howling wind.

Eshton turned and looked at Jane before she moved down the steps, rushing towards the light. A second later Eshton was at her side, and they both watched as two horses came into view, Edward slumped over one of them, his cloak covering his face.

"Good God" Jane whispered, now running to the horse's side. She flipped back her husband's cloak to see his face, which was freezing to the touch and dripping with water. He was not responsive, and Jane felt fresh panic flood her veins.

"Let's get him inside," Eshton said, helping him down with the others from the horse.

"Mark, go find the others and tell them you have found him so we can all be home safely. Thank you".

With this, Jane hurried inside, meeting Jenny and two other girls in the foyer.

"They found him but he's injured, help me get a bed together for him"

Jane turned to check on her husband and was terrified at what she saw. Edward, so strong and so powerful, was being dragged through the house by the three men, his body completely limp.

"Can you get him upstairs?"

"Yes" Eshton urged, his voice strained by the effort it took to hold his friend up.

"Then bring him to the first bedroom at the top of the stairs" she responded, rushing ahead to help prepare his bed.

The first bedroom at the top of the stairs was normally Adele's bedroom when she was home, but it was more ideal than Jane's bedroom for the bed was small and could be moved close to the fire. The room itself was also smaller, so it held heat better and faster. Jenny and the other maids were already there when Jane arrived and had pushed the bed beside the hearth that Jane crouched beside to light. It took some time, owing to the chill and dampness of the room, yet when the blaze caught it was large and warm. Standing, Jane took several extra blankets down from a shelf and laid them over the bed while the other girls lit candles around the room.

"Emma, would you please run and get Mr Rochester a dry nightshirt?"

"Yes miss"

As she ran out of the room she nearly collided with the men rounding the corner with Edward, barely managing to hold him under the arms as they moved him towards the bed. As soon as he was laid down Jane began to undress him, and only then did she realize how soaked through his clothes truly were. She could have wrung out water from his coat which she cast to the side before starting on his waistcoat. When Jane noticed her husband's shallow breathing, she worked faster to get him out of his wet things.

When Emma reappeared with the clean nightshirt, Jenny guided the concerned group of onlookers out of the room, leaving only Jane and Mr Eshton who was helping maneuver Edward as Jane changed him.

"He will be well in the end, Jane" Eshton promised, but there was uncertainty in his voice. Edward was completely quiet and completely still.

As Jane looked him over she saw that his hands and feet were swollen, most likely from having been left so long in the cold. As she removed his shirt, she was shocked to see significant patches of dark bruising all across his stomach and side. Worse, when she removed his pants she saw that his leg was broken from under his knee down to his ankle. Eshton sucked in air quickly upon seeing it, shaking his head and turning around.

"What happened?" Jane asked lowly, taking a cloth from the table beside her and drying off her husband as gingerly as possible.

"It looks as if his horse slipped. The road was all ice, but it was covered in snow. His horse was shot for his legs were broken"

Jane, with some difficulty, changed her husband into his dry nightshirt and lowered him down onto the bed, covering him in layers upon layers of blankets. When he was in bed Jane touched his face, finding it was no longer as cold as it was but it was still pale and expressionless.

"He must have been close to the house. He could have been found sooner. He must be in agony. This is all my fault".

Eshton moved around the back of the bed and looked at Jane, his brow lowered and serious.

"You are the reason he is alive, Jane. He had an accident on the road, this was nobody's fault".

But Jane was not focused on Eshton's words and he knew this. She was looking at her husband, her eyes threatening to overflow with tears as she grabbed the cloth again to dry his hair.

"Shall I leave you for a while?"

Jane nodded,

"I will go and see where Anne is, then. I will be nearby if you need me"

Jane, somewhat delayed in her response, turned to him quickly when his hand was on the doorknob.

"Thank you".

But he only half-smiled at her before leaving the room, closing the door gently behind him.

When they were left alone, Jane bit down on her quivering lip, trying to stop the tears which threatened to consume her.

"You must be strong for him" Jane reminded herself, taking his hand under the blankets in hers and caressing his knuckles with her thumb. She was relieved to feel that it too was warmer. Leaning forward, Jane pressed her lips to his forehead before pressing her cheek to his.

"Sweetheart, it's me" she spoke into his ear, not able to resist kissing his cheek, "I am here".

. . .

Over the next few hours, Jane did all she could to keep Edward warm and to relieve as much of his pain as she could. Once she was sure the initial danger of him succumbing to the cold had passed, she began tending to his wounds to the best of her ability. First, she cleaned the gashed wound on his leg and using a technique she found in a medical book, she set his leg as straight as she could until the doctor arrived. She also cleaned the small scrapes on his arm and monitored the bruising on his stomach and chest, though she knew there was little that she could do for him there. Over this time, Jane thought that his breathing steadied, but she could not be sure, for it happened so slowly.

Waiting was agony.

Jane felt as if she was in hell, watching her husband lay before her so quiet and so still. But not knowing was the worst part. Not knowing what would happen to him, not knowing if he would ever wake again, not knowing how much pain he was in made Jane feel physically sick. Her hands shook violently in her lap once they had finished with their initial tasks, and no matter what she did she could not steady them. The seconds turned into minutes, which turned into hours, and Jane was sure she was the only one still awake in the house. Anne had entered at one point and implored Jane to get some rest, but she must have known as well as Jane did that that would never happen, and so she abandoned the task quickly and went to bed herself. It was now eerily quiet in the house.

It was not until the sun was on the verge of rising that there was any change. It was so subtle at first that Jane thought it was a trick of her mind, but when she turned back to look at her husband she could see that he was stirring ever so lightly. Sitting up quickly, she began rubbing his hand

"Edward?" she asked, her heart racing.

He stirred again, and this time his face contorted in pain. Relieved, Jane knelt beside the bed and moved his hair back from his forehead so that she could kiss him.

"Edward?" she asked again, and this time he groaned, taking a short and shallow breath. He tried sitting up in bed but Jane was quick to put her hands on his shoulders in order to steady him. At this, he opened his eyes slowly. He blinked in confusion at his wife kneeling beside him.

"Oh, thank God" Jane whispered, looking up in gratitude at the person who had granted her prayers. Turning back at her husband she saw that his eyes were set on her.

"I'm sorry" he said weakly,

"Shh, don't talk just now. Everything is alright"

He tried to shift again but Jane held him steady.

"No, you mustn't move. Your leg is broken, and I would not be surprised if you have some broken ribs too. I tried to set it as best I could, but I do not know when the doctor will come. How is your pain?"

"I'm alright" he responded, but he clenched his teeth in pain as he spoke.

Jane touched his forehead and then his chest under the blankets, finding that he was no longer feverish. It was the first sign that he was truly improving.

This time, when Jane's lip quivered, she was less successful in keeping her tears at bay. The breath she took was shaky and she put her hand to her mouth to stop herself from crying. She had not yet, and she did not intend to do such in front of her husband, so she turned away from him.

"What happened?" Edward asked frailly, "How was I found?"

"Well" Jane began, her voice a little shaky, "I am sorry, Edward. I am so sorry. It was my fault you were laying in the snow for so long. I waited too long before asking the men of the estate to go and find you-"

But he shook his head,

"I knew you would come"

Jane kissed his hand, taking note that it was still swollen.

"Max and Harry found you. You must not have been far from the house, for when they went out in search for you they were not long returning. Before I could leave in order to help with the search Eshton arrived, and before we could leave, they returned with you"

Edward nodded, his eyes still closed in pain.

"Did they shoot my horse?"

"Yes"

"I did not have my gun to put it out of its misery"

Jane stroked his arm sympathetically, watching as he opened his eyes again and looked towards the window. He looked at the sunlight peeking through the curtains before looking around the room in confusion,

"What time is it? And why am I in Adele's room?"

'This is the smallest and warmest room" Jane explained, reaching into his waistcoat for his pocket watch, "You were soaked to your skin when they brought you back. It is nearly five-thirty"

Edward's eyes widened, perhaps only realizing for the first time how much danger he had truly been in. It had been hours since he had been conscious. Jane knew he was observing her now, looking for signs of her distress. Given what he said next, Jane suspected her anxiety must have still been well etched into her face.

"Go get some sleep. I am well enough now"

Jane looked at him a long moment before shaking her head.

"Will you have some tea? Something to warm you?"

"I am warm enough"

"Too warm?"

A very small smile flashed over his face for a second before he grunted in pain.

"I will never be too warm again".

Jane bit her lip but then thought she heard the sound of wheels on the drive. Standing up and moving to the window, she watched as a small black carriage stopped in front of the door and the doctor stepped out.

'That is the doctor. I need to go and meet him but I will only be gone a moment".

Edward nodded, but he was now cradling his stomach in pain. Jane kissed the top of his head as she passed and promptly left the room. She rushed as quickly as she could down over the stairs and met the doctor at the front door.

"Ms Rochester, my apologies I was not here sooner. How is he?"

"He has just woken up, though he is in much pain".

"Bring me to him".

. . .

The doctor examined his patient for a long time, and Edward beared it as best he could given how much pain he was in. Continually he denied such, but the doctor concluded that he had broken his leg in two places and that he had broken several ribs at the bottom of his rib cage. Examining the swelling in his extremities, the doctor believed that such would heal on its own, though he explained that Edward would need to remain completely warm so that his state did not worsen. He also complimented Jane on the way she had set her husband's leg, guessing that it saved him from sustaining further injury.

"What happened?" he asked at length, wrapping Edward's chest in bandages to stop his ribs from moving out of place.

"My horse fell on the ice before he rolled on me" he explained, wincing when the doctor tied the bandage.

"It must have been a nasty fall. You are lucky to be alive, Rochester. A few more minutes in the elements and I could not answer for what would have become of you".

Edward looked at his wife before turning back at the doctor who was finishing up his work. He also checked the large wound in Edward's leg before addressing Jane,

"Did you clean this?"

"Yes, with some of the solution you left here when last you visited".

"Very good. That will do much to prevent an infection from settling in. Well done, Ms Rochester"

Jane watched as the doctor concluded his work, feeling relieved for the first time that Edward would make a full recovery. When the doctor did stand up, he shook his patient's hand.

"Good show. I will be back within the next few days to check on you. If anything changes, send for me immediately. You must watch that wound on your leg, Rochester, for if it becomes infected we will have a much more serious problem to deal with".

"I will make sure it is clean" Jane assured him, "I will check in the morning and the night".

The doctor nodded,

"And it is to be full bed rest for you, Rochester. You are not to move from this spot until you are completely healed"

"How long?"

"Your leg will likely be eight weeks. Your ribs will heal in perhaps five or six".

"That is two months, doctor. I cannot remain in bed for longer than two days".

"Listen Rochester-" the doctor warned seriously, "If you leave this bed prematurely, you risk much more serious injuries than you have already sustained. I have seen men do it before. I have seen them start walking on broken legs before they are healed and they never walk right again. I have seen men with broken ribs try to go about their lives and those ribs break further and puncture their lungs. You are to remain in bed until all is healed. Do you understand?"

Edward said nothing, but Jane nodded.

"He will stay put. I will make sure of it".

The doctor looked encouragingly at Jane before picking up his hat.

"As I said, I will be back in a few days. Do listen to your wife, Rochester".

"Thank you, Doctor," he said, "I appreciate it".

. . .

There was silence between Jane and the doctor as they walked down the hallway, for Jane found that she was too tired and too drained for small talk. When they were safely out of earshot, however, and descending the staircase, the doctor addressed Jane.

"You may have saved your husband's life. You did everything just right from setting the leg, cleaning his wounds, and warming his core. He certainly would not have fared so well if you were not around".

'Thank you, doctor"

Arriving at the front door, Jane thanked him as he climbed into his carriage. He waved once before his driver took him away, moving down the snowy drive quite slowly and cautiously. The storm had now settled, but its aftermath was evident. Large heaps of snow had built in drifts on the path and on either side of the drive while several tree branches had been blown down in the course of the night. Taking it in, Jane slumped against the side of the house and breathed in the fresh morning air. She had not noticed how warm Adele's room had become over the course of the night and it was refreshing to feel something cool on her face. It also gave her a chance to think over how she would approach Edward's recovery. She would need her to be diligent, for it would not be easy for him to remain in bed. Jane could already hear his protests as she began walking back up over the stairs, but she made herself promise to be absolutely patient with him, for it was against his nature to be solidary and he would be frustrated.

When Jane pushed opened the door to Adele's bedroom she observed her husband with new eyes and thought that he had gained a little more colour, though he was still pale by comparison to his normal self. He did not turn to see who had entered, so Jane could not see what expression he wore, but when she sat down beside him in the chair he had occupied all night, he reached for her hand instantly. When he did, she looked at him and found his face set with intention.

"I am sorry' he said meaningfully, "I should have been more careful. I was riding too quickly through the storm. Knowing how scared you must have been-".

But Jane shook her head,

"No, Edward, this was all my fault. I knew you should have been home long before I sent men out to look for you, and to think you were lying in pain in the freezing cold for so long-"

"Jane" he interrupted seriously, "I will not pretend that laying there in the cold was not hard, but I knew you would bring me home, even if that meant you wading through the snow to find me yourself"

"Perhaps so, but you could have died before I reached you"

But he smiled a little, bringing his wife's hand to his lips.

"Not without saying goodbye to you first, and not without seeing my son"

Jane chuckled a little, wiping a relieved tear from her eye, but Edward only winced in pain and clutched his side.

"Oh, sweetheart. You must take it easy now"

"I will once you help me to our bed"

Jane's lips tightened.

"You heard the doctor. You must remain here, and you must allow your body to heal".

"Moving me to our room will not do me any serious harm"

"Edward, please" Jane pleaded, "Do not fight me on this. It took three men to get you into this room last night as it is and you will be injured if I try to move you on my own".

Seeing the seriousness of her words, he softened.

"I'm sorry. I will not make your life more difficult than it is bound to be now".

He took a deep breath before continuing,

"We are in for a long few months, aren't we?"

Jane smiled and nodded,

"I believe we are"

Edward groaned, dropping his head back onto the pillows slowly.