Chapter Thirty-Five

The procedure took longer than the doctor originally quoted to them. Anna grew nervous and started to pace back and forth, and nothing Robert or Mary could say or do would help her settle down. "Something's gone wrong, I know something's gone wrong," she asserted.

"Anna," Robert sighed. "You don't know that. Dr. Sullivan didn't know what the inside of Bates' knee was really like. She might have had to do more work to make sure it heals properly, that's all. Come sit down. Bates would not want you so upset; he'd scold me."

"Papa's right," Mary added. "If something had gone wrong, they'd have come out to tell you. Late news is better than early news in this case."

Anna sighed and tried to sit and relax. John wouldn't want her upset, if he knew she was fretting so much he'd feel terrible. Then she was struck with a terrible thought. "You don't think they would…not without my permission, surely."

"No," Robert replied very quickly. "No, they'd come speak to you, and the doctor never mentioned that was even a risk now."

Anna nodded and settled back into the chair though she wasn't sitting long before Drs. Sullivan and Clarkson came out to see them.

"I'm so sorry about the delay, but there were a few unforeseen…things once we got the knee open," Dr. Sullivan explained. "There were a lot of bone fragments that weren't realigned properly from the initial injury in 1902 and those fragments were floating inside his knee along with other pieces of broken bone from the most recent fall. I had no choice but to remove many of these fragments to safeguard the repairs to the ligament and muscle I performed. There was a lot more bleeding inside the bone once I got in there."

"How is he?" That was all Anna cared to know.

"He's stable," Dr. Clarkson took over now. "Mr. Bates is a very strong man, this many procedures so close together takes a toll on the body and that's true, but he came through very well. We have him on morphine, but we'll lift that gradually over the next few days. He'll be groggy and quite weak for a while, but he'll mend."

Robert let out a sigh of relief, he hadn't realized he'd been that nervous.

"There is one caveat, however," Dr. Sullivan broke in. "Some of the bone that was nearest to the ligament had already developed infection or still had one remaining from his infectious arthritis earlier in the year. I had to remove some of that infected bone in hopes that we'll be able to keep it from overwhelming him again. With that complication, Mr. Bates will have to remain bedridden for 10 to 12 weeks. He won't be able to move his leg at all if we want to be sure of proper healing."

Anna felt her stomach clench. "Will he have to be here…"

"That depends on you, Mrs. Bates," Dr. Clarkson replied. "Once Mr. Bates is medically sound, he can go home or to a convalescent hospital near Downton given you have three little ones…"

"No," Anna said firmly. "He's going home with me. My husband will be taken care of by me. When can I sit with him? He hates to wake up from ether, he feels so dreadful."

"You can go in now," Dr. Clarkson replied. "It'll be a while before he's fully awake, but he should come around from the ether in the next few hours. His rest will be morphine induced for a few days at least until we feel he'll be able to cope without it."

Anna followed the afternoon nurse to John's room, a private suite, and took her place by his bedside where she held his hand tightly until he woke. It was just past teatime when he began to stir. She watched his eyes slowly open to take in the room and slowly turn toward her, his gaze hazy with medication.

The one-word croak came low in a dry, raspy voice as his eyes moved towards her, "Anna."

"Yes, I am here. How are you feeling my darling?" She caressed his cheek with the lightest touch.

John licked his tongue over the dry patches of his lips and spoke again, "Water."

Anna reached for the glass of water that sat on top of the nightstand table she brought against his lips. "There you are. You must be very parched, Mr. Bates."

John drank gratefully, the dryness reminding him of Africa, but at least that had been a natural thirst. This was a drier feeling, a tight burning sensation that felt awful. "More?" Anna remembered how her mouth felt after each of their babies had come, like the desert was parked between her teeth. John nodded but only took a few more sips before sinking back.

Things continued like that for three days. John had moments of consciousness where he would take water and a few sips of tea. Other than that, he slept, though not free from pain.

Anna held his hand through it all. On the third day, Robert and Anna both sat next to John as Dr. Sullivan examined his leg. "He's healing well, but the bone is still showing signs of infection. I'm going to have to go back in and try to clean it out a little more."

Anna held John's hand tighter. He was awake, but very groggy and didn't seem to be following the conversation. "Operate on him again, no!" Anna said firmly. "John is barely able to communicate with us he's so medicated for being in such pain, and you want to cut on him again. I won't let you."

"Anna," Robert sighed. "It's for his own good. If there's infection, he won't be able to regain his strength."

Anna felt tears threaten at the back of her throat. She looked at John, he was holding her gaze with dulled, listless eyes. "What do you want us to do, my love?" Anna asked. "Do you want the doctor to try and clean your leg again?" Anna looked over at Dr. Sullivan, "Will this procedure make him feel better? Will it hurt less?"

"It might," Dr. Sullivan replied. "The swelling and irritation might go down. So, he'll feel less pressure from the wound."

Anna looked over at John, he murmured something so low Anna could barely hear him. "No, darling. No, that's not what she wants to do. We won't let that happen."

Robert quirked his eyebrows at her and Anna nodded her head. "Alright, Doctor. Clean it up for him then. When will it be?"

"Tomorrow morning," she replied. "Again, no food after his tea tonight and no liquids after 10pm. I know it feels awful, but it's for his safety. Rest well, Mr. Bates."

The doctor departed and Anna sighed. "How is Mr. Bates ever going to recover if they keep pestering him so, m'lord?" Anna asked. "Did you hear, John? That means I want you to eat for me when tea comes." Anna kissed the back of John's hand.

"Do you want to take some time, Anna?" Robert asked. "Go home and see the children maybe? I'll stay here, I'm glad to do it."

"I know," Anna replied. "But…" She deflated. She hadn't seen her babies in over three days now and she missed them terribly. "I just wanted to wait until Mr. Bates was a little stronger before I left him, but now…"

"Go," John rasped from the bed. "Children need you too. You need rest."

"Nonsense," Anna replied. "I'll rest when you're well. Did you rest when I was recovering from giving birth?"

John nodded and licked his lips. Anna immediately gave him water and wiped his brow with a cool flannel, "Go see the children," John said, his voice a bit stronger after the water. "Tell them I love them and miss them so very much."

John's voice cracked, but he held the emotion back. Anna gave in, it would be her pleasure after all to carry a message to her babies from their Daddy.

The house was relatively quiet when Anna got home. She shouldn't be surprised; Mrs. Hughes and Carson were excellent when they cared for the children. Mrs. Hughes was in the kitchen while Mr. Carson was on the sitting room floor on his stomach with baby Elizabeth. Carson saw her first. "Anna!"

Anna smiled as she stepped closer, "Hello," she greeted. When Elizabeth heard her mother's voice, she turned her head and squealed happily, kicking her feet up and down with exuberance. "Hello, my baby," Anna smiled. "Oh, she's so excited. Are you playing with Mr. Carson?"

'He's taken it upon himself to get her to catch up to the other babies her age," Mrs. Hughes replied. "Mr. Carson has quite a soft spot for the young ones."

"I can see that. Where are Johnny and Maggie?"

"I sent them out back," Mrs. Hughes answered. "But it's nearly luncheon so they'll be along directly. Sit down and have something to eat, dear, and tell us all the news of Mr. Bates."

Anna sighed, "He has to have another operation tomorrow, a small one. He's doing well though. He was awake before I left to come here. He encouraged me to come."

"Well, that's good," Carson replied. "He's a good, strong man. He'll do well tomorrow and be home before you know it."

"Mummy!" Johnny exclaimed when he and Maggie clamored in through the back door. "We missed you! Where's Daddy?"

Anna dropped to her knees to hold both her older children to her and inhaled their scent as she swayed a little. "Is Daddy in the bedroom, Mummy?" Maggie asked.

"No, my dear," Anna replied. "Daddy is still in hospital having his leg fixed, but we hope he'll be home very soon so he can rest in his own bed and get better."

Johnny's face fell and Maggie sniffled, "I want Daddy here."

"I know you do," Anna soothed. "And he wants to be here too. He loves and misses you both so much. Perhaps, if he's feeling better in a couple days, we can ask her ladyship if she'll give us special permission for you to visit Daddy. Would you like that?"

Johnny nodded quickly and smiled, but Maggie looked nervous. Anna smoothed her hair behind her head, "Everything's going to be alright, my darling. Let's have some of this delicious luncheon Granny Elsie has made for us."

Mrs. Hughes and Carson stood back and watched Anna and the children. "Perhaps in a day or two, we should go and see Mr. Bates, just to give him a change."

Mrs. Hughes nodded, "That would be very nice, I think he'd appreciate it."

When lunch was over, Carson told Anna his plan. "Oh, I know Mr. Bates would appreciate any visitors. He's just so groggy from the medication just now. He has a hard time not falling asleep while he's in a conversation, still if you forgive him that…"

"Of course," Carson replied. "He fights hard, and he has every reason in the world. Remember that when it gets rough, Anna."

"He's not dying, Charlie," Mrs. Hughes prompted. "It's his leg that's broken, not his neck. He'll mend right enough and perhaps better than he was before."

Anna hoped that Mrs. Hughes was right. She needed John out of the hospital and home with her and their children. He'd always warned her that marrying him, a man so much older, would put her in this position one day, but that day wasn't supposed to be for years.

Anna got back to the hospital just before John was served his tea. She could hear him laughing a little as she approached the room and saw Mr. Moseley had joined Robert at John's bedside. Mr. Moseley was regaling both men with tales from the schoolmaster's office that he planned to transfer into plays.

"I'd pay money to watch that," John chuckled, though his movements were very slow and stilted. Anna smiled as she stepped into the room, "Mr. Moseley, how nice to see you! Thank you for coming, how's Mrs. Moseley getting on?"

Polite small talk was made until the tea tray arrived. Robert knew how Anna had to fight with John to get him to eat, so he invited Moseley to have a cup of tea before heading home to lead the other man from the room.

Anna lifted the lid of the tray to reveal a potato leek soup, a crust of bread, some cheese and ham, and an apple. "Oh, look at this nice meal you have here! What would you like to try first?"

John nodded to a basket sitting on the small table by his bed. "That has some beef broth from Mrs. Patmore, and I think a sausage roll which I'd prefer to this."

"Who wouldn't?" Anna laughed as she took the more desirable food out of the basket to set out in front of him.

With the food laid out she cut it into the pieces to make it easier to eat. "There you go, take your time and there's also water if you're thirsty."

In between bites John slid sideways, unable to hold himself up for very long. Anna guided him to sit so he was half lying against her and half lying on his pillows. She took over feeding him to make it easier, then offered him some water.

"No," John looked away after just two small bites from the chosen food.

"We can take a break but if you want to get your energy back, you need to eat. Please, just a few more bites for me," Anna pleaded.

She brought the water up against his lips satisfied he took a small sip. "There now, I want you to get better John. I understand it feels awful, but you have to do this, my love. You have to."

"I'm fine," John murmured. He was too tired to eat and drink, but he knew he had to. "My leg does hurt very much."

Anna squeezed his hand. "I know it does, love. The doctor will clean it off and you'll feel better soon. I promise, it'll be over soon."

Anna fed John a few more spoonfuls of broth and a bite of the sausage. The fact John was tired and not hungry didn't bother Anna that much because he was never hungry when he was having pain, and it always took the stuffing out of him. It was how weak he had gotten in just a short time. When Anna mentioned that part to Dr. Clarkson, he'd said, "He's battling a severe infection, even though he doesn't have a fever. His body is worn out, plus we are keeping him as loaded with morphine as we deem safe for his respiration. It's not weakness so much as it is grogginess. Once the wound is clean again, we can lift the medication more readily without his having too much pain."

Anna accepted the answer.

Dr. Sullivan took John to the theater early the next morning. Robert and Mary had returned to wait with Anna.

This procedure was shorter, but when she came out, Dr. Sullivan looked grim. "What is it?" Robert asked, physically standing in front of Anna in move to protect her from what the doctor was about to say.

"The infection in the bone has already spread by the time I got inside," Dr. Sullivan informed them. "I had to cut away part of the kneecap in order to try at stop it. I think I've managed to head it off. I took some healthy bone as well to give it a clearer margin."

Anna took a deep breath, "But he still has his leg?"

"Yes, he still has his leg," Dr. Sullivan replied. "But he only has about of the bone that supposed to be in his knee. It's highly unlikely Mr. Bates will walk again and certainly not without crutches and a brace. He'll need the physical support."

"Well, there's no shame in needing to use a crutch or a brace," Anna replied. "We can handle that, but my husband, he's well?"

"He's as well as he can be," Dr. Sullivan replied. "He's tired, his body is tired. He's been through a lot and has been anesthetized three times in as many months. However, removing that infection should calm his system down and relieve some of the pain so we can begin to lift the morphine in about 48 hours."

Now for the hard part. "He'll sleep the rest of the day, Mrs. Bates. Go home to your children, come back for his tea, he should be awake by then. For now, he needs rest and complete silence and…"

Anna started to get her back up, "And?" she pressed.

"And your constant touching and fussing might only distress him more and subconsciously disturb his sleep," Dr. Sullivan replied. "Dr. Clarkson agrees with me that Mr. Bates should remain isolated until later today when he's more aware."

"But he will need me when he starts to wake," Anna insisted. "He gets so sick from ether, and he's a difficult patient, he won't cooperate with a nurse. You know that! M'lord, you know Mr. Bates, he won't…"

Mary stepped out and pressed a hand to Anna's back. "What if I stay? What if I stay and if he wakes up and has a hard time, I can have the hospital call at once. You do need rest, and your children need you to reassure them. I promise I won't let harm come to Bates."

"M'lady," Dr. Sullivan began. "We really want Mr. Bates to have undisturbed rest."

Robert looked at Anna who was shaking at the thought of John's waking up with no one familiar with him. Robert put his shoulders back, "Dr. Sullivan, I appreciate you're putting Bates first and using your skill to help him, but Mrs. Bates is correct. Bates is a stubborn man, and he won't take kindly to you having put Mrs. Bates off. It's Lady Mary or Mrs. Bates, but if physical touch is the issue, Lady Mary is the best choice."

Dr. Sullivan relented and agreed to let Mary stay. Robert put his hand on the small of Anna's back. "Johnny will be in school, but Maggie and Elizabeth will be at Downton. Do you want to go to Downton or go home and just rest?"

Anna took a deep breath, "I'm going to go pick Johnny up early and spend time with all of them at Downton if I can."

"All right," Robert smiled. "That's good, John would want you to relax a little, be with the children and not have to worry about anything else."

"I won't be able to relax, m'lord," Anna sighed. "My husband is alone in a hospital, Lady Mary is no substitute for me, I'm sorry, but she's not. He won't eat for her, I don't think he'll even drink for her. He only lets the facade down with you and me. Everyone else, that stoic mask is in place, and he can't or won't let it down."

Robert nodded and sighed at seeing Anna's anxiety and pain. "Come along now, the sooner you see the children and get distracted the faster the time will go."

Anna took a deep breath and tried to focus. She knew Robert was right, she had to just let this go and focus on her children, they needed her as much as John did. Mary would take good care of him and call if they needed Anna. She had to trust that.

A/N: Things not looking for good for the Bates. Was Dr. Sullivan the right choice? Lots more to come, we are only at the middle. Hope you enjoyed.