Chapter Seventeen

The weeks passed and Elizabeth grew like a weed. She ate well, gained weight, and was the apple of her father's eye. She had gotten used to Anna as much as John handling her and was all in all a happy baby.

Anna had been cleared to have her stitches removed and to resume her normal activities, all but one. Dr. Clarkson wanted her to wait longer before he allowed her to do that. John was in no true hurry, it spared him a particularly difficult conversation with Anna.

Every morning, rising from bed and preparing for work, got harder. As the weather shifted, so did John's aches, and so did his moods. Back pain and leg spasms were keeping him awake to all hours making him tired and grumpy. He would catch himself more times than not when about to lose his temper, but it was getting harder.

Work on the hotel was progressing well. They had decided, given the good rates they had been given, to take on a little more remodeling and make it really special. A throwback to their childhood under the reign of Queen Victoria. That meant lower ceilings, smaller spaces, more intimacy, more patterns and textiles, but this was their dream, and Robert and Tom encouraged that it be done as well and as exacting as John and Anna liked. The idea of a romantic paradise inside Downton village, a place for honest, decent couples to court, to honeymoon, to dine was exciting to all the partners involved.

Before they knew it, it was June. Elizabeth was nearly 2 months old and summer was fast approaching. John hoped the warmer weather would help ease the pain in his back and legs from what Dr. Clarkson explained was a chronic inflammation of the joints from years of work on his feet and his limp, a limp more pronounced lately, which in turn caused a more uneven step and more pain in his hip and back. It was a never ending circle of frustration.

Elizabeth turned 8 weeks old on a Wednesday, and on that same day, Anna had to take her to Dr. Clarkson for a checkup. It would be Elizabeth's first outing as Dr. Clarkson had examined her at home when she turned 1 month.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" John asked as he sat with Elizabeth . The baby was on her belly in her pram, her face turned to the side towards John. "Elizabeth," John called her to get her attention. She didn't respond as he hoped. "What is it going to take for me to get a smile out of you?" John asked his baby girl. "You feeling grumpy today?"

John leaned over and picked Elizabeth up. She made a little noise and wriggled her little body as John held her up by his shoulder, careful to support her head.

"I don't remember, how old were Johnny and Maggie when we got them to smile for us? She was young, do you remember how old he was?" John asked as he patted Elizabeth's tiny back.

"He was younger, about six weeks or so. It was Valentine's Day and you got him that bear. Barney Bear. He still has him. He loves that toy."

"Barney Bear," John laughed. "He named him that when he was about 2. We have great children, Anna. Smart children. Johnny's going to blow away the teachers at the village school when he starts this term."

"And even if he doesn't, we'll be proud, won't we, John?" Anna fixed her husband with a look.

"Of course we will," John replied. "I have to get on. If you change your mind about my going, just ring up and I'll fix it."

"I will, but I won't," Anna laughed. "I can do a baby checkup myself. Mrs. Hughes is watching Johnny and Maggie. There'll be meat pies for supper. Your mum's recipe."

John laid Elizabeth in her pram, this time on her back. She laid still, her little hands curled up. She had straightened her legs some time ago, and her arms, but didn't open her hands yet. John loved what he called "baby hands" and bestowed a kiss on each before heading to the sitting room to kiss the older children goodbye.

"She's a perfect weight and height for a baby her age," Dr. Clarkson told Anna later. "There doesn't seem to be any residual scarring from the forceps, and her shoulders…are aligned. I'd say she's healed nicely." Dr. Clarkson tickled Elizabeth's tummy. "Yes, you have, precious wee lassie."

Elizabeth kicked her legs and flailed her little arms. She didn't seem to like the sensation. Anna stepped into her line of sight and smiled down at her. "It's alright, baby. Dr. Clarkson is playing with you." Anna picked Elizabeth up. "Mr. Bates will be glad to hear she's well. He's disappointed he can't get her to smile at him yet."

Dr. Clarkson nodded and observed the way Elizabeth was lying against Anna with Anna's hand supporting her back. "Set her down again a moment, Anna. There's a few more things I'd like to check over."

Anna did as the doctor asked and bit her lip.

Robert was coming toward the library when a long time tenant, Mr. Benson and his wife came out of the small library. She was in tears and he appeared to be enraged. "Well, he doesn't look that busy to me!" Mrs. Benson shrieked as they hurried away from Robert.

Robert entered the library in time to see John push himself up from his chair. His legs, except his bad knee, straightened out, but his back remained hunched. John pressed his hand to the small of his back and heaved himself straighter. Robert sighed. "What was that about? With Benson?"

John shook his head. "Lady Mary gave them their walking papers if the arrears aren't paid in full by the end of the quarter. They are citing hard times, the depression going on, but they haven't paid a dime on that land since 1928. They were demanding, rather impertinently, to see your lordship about it."

"And you denied them access?" Robert finished.

There was no trace of blame in Robert's tone. No trace criticism, yet John got his defenses up quickly anyway. "Yes, I did, m'Lord," John replied with a harsh edge. "I did my job as I saw fit to do it. If that isn't acceptable to your lordship…"

'Bates," Robert raised a staying hand. He looked around the room to see they were alone. "John, I'm not ridiculing you. You did the right thing."

John sighed, "My apologies. It seems all I do lately is apologize for jumping down someone's throat. We have already lost two lads at the hotel due to my harshness, I was stern enough I made Mrs. Benson cry, now you…"

"When we were younger men," Robert began. "You had a tongue that could sting any recruit more than a horse whip ever could, but you haven't been like that since you've been back to Downton. Lately, it's been bad and it's been often. Tom and I wrote it off as tiredness at first, but Anna's been up and around nearly a month. Are you stuck back in the war again?"

John shook his head and worried his face with his hand. "No more than usual though it's hard to have nightmares when you can't sleep to begin with."

Robert sat down across from John's desk. "Life with a newborn?"

John laughed, "Well, yes. My little one does tend to take after her old man in sleeping trends but no. It's my damn leg!" Then, "I'm sorry, m'lord. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just…I am so frustrated with it. This part of things was quite sudden. Well, maybe not sudden, but quicker than I'd have expected. I stopped in again to see old Clarkson and he told me there isn't much that can be done in terms of treatment. I was living with the knee, then my back and hip started to play up and now it's this odd symphony of misery…"

Robert thought on that, worried for his friend. He didn't want to think of the man he considered a brother, the man who saved his life, suffering from chronic pain at all let alone have what he endured increase. Then there was the disability element. The estate could afford to support John's salary even if he wasn't able to work and the hotel could be run by just Anna with John to oversee but that would deal a huge blow to John's pride.

"As much as I like and respect old Clarkson," Robert said after a few minutes. "Perhaps he's not the best doctor for your situation. There are doctors in Leeds that have had success in all types of skeletal procedures and treatments. Maybe we go down and confer with one of them. There has to be something, in 1931, to treat arthritis."

John turned to look out the window quickly trying to hold his temper. "You say it like it's the common cold!"

"All I meant was that with all of the advances in medicine over the last, even, ten years, there has to be something. Maybe Dr. Clarkson just doesn't know what that something is. I can't hurt to look into it, John."

John nodded, "I'm sorry. I suppose I can always invent a business appointment and go down, but I'd have to do it all the same day. I can't leave Anna overnight, not yet. I'll ring them up tomorrow."

Robert smiled, "I'll go with you, add legitimacy to the business trip. We can discuss the rest of the tenant contracts for the year."

"Robert," John sighed. "Thank you. I mean it. I can't worry Anna, not just now. She will only fret and worry about her much older husband's welfare."

"Her husband's welfare," Robert corrected. "And you're welcome, John. Now, let's see if we can clear a few minutes tomorrow for the wretched Bensons."

John's leg was throbbing by the time he arrived back at the cottage. Johnny and Maggie were outside by the back porch playing when they saw him limp into view. "Daddy's home!" Johnny exclaimed and ran down the three little steps to John with Maggie on his heels.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

This was what happiness was, John thought, even as his daughter slammed into his bad leg.

"Careful, Lass," John chided gently. "Remember Daddy's leg."

"Sorry, Daddy," Maggie replied as John patted her little head. "Johnny, where's Mummy, lad?"

"She is inside, she didn't want to play," Johnny replied.

"Ah, well, your Mummy, she has a lot to do taking care of this lot, doesn't she?" John laughed. "It's about tea time too, so why don't you take five more minutes to tidy your games then come inside and wash. Off you go. I'll help Mummy finish laying out our tea."

"Mummy's not make tea," Maggie told John. "She's sitting on the settee holding Elizabeth ."

John laughed again, Anna could always get distracted when cuddling one of their babies. Then Johnny continued, "Yeah, she's been doing that since before Granny Elsie left. Just sitting there with her."

John felt his heart drop to his stomach. He looked up at the bright sky and changed his direction, "You know what. Why don't you continue your game a little more? Daddy will come fetch you when it's time to tidy."

Leaning heavily on his cane, John negotiated his way up the three stairs leading to the inside of their cottage and pushed the door opened. The back door led to the kitchen and it was true, there was no tea cooking. When John touched the stove, it was still stone cold. Nothing had been cooked there for hours.

"Anna?" John called gently as he walked into the sitting room. Sure enough, there was Anna, sitting on the settee with Elizabeth in her arms. The baby was flailing her limbs, not that happy about being left in the same place for so long, and likely hungry, but she wasn't crying. She was a good natured baby content to let her displeasure be known by kicks and flourishes.

"Anna?" John said again, louder this time. "Anna, didn't you hear me?"

When Anna still didn't move, lost in her own little world, John leaned down to take Elizabeth . He knew that would get her attention.

When Anna felt John's gentle touch against her arm, removing their baby girl from her grasp, she startled. "John, I didn't know you were home."

"It's almost tea time," John replied. "I called out to you. You were a million miles away. What's wrong, Anna?"

Anna stood up, quickly dissolving into tear. She'd been crying all day on and off and seeing her husband, so strong and solid, there to share her burden, made it all well up again. Anna burrowed close and hid her face in John's chest next to Elizabeth 's chubby little leg as she sobbed, "Oh, John…"

A/N: Little bit of a cliffhanger there. Don't worry, I'll be updating faster now I have finished the story. I'm guessing 80 to 90 chapters in all. It is completed, just today. On to the next!

Thanks for reading!