"Alright. Have we got everyone?" Mrs Hughes asked and everyone looked around.
"We're missing Jimmy and Thomas."
"Right. Everyone split up into 3 groups, we'll find them," Mrs Hughes said and she went with Tom and Alfred.
~
"Mrs Hughes. That's Jimmy. Jimmy!" Alfred called as he saw him and he ran to him.
"Oh no," Mrs Hughes said and both she and Tom followed. James was lying unconscious on the ground and he was bleeding. They knelt beside him and they were concerned.
"What happened?"
"I don't know."
"James, it's Tom can you hear me?"
"James?"
"It looks like he's taken a beating."
"Someone must have taken advantage of him," Mrs Hughes said and they looked at her. "He saw staggering drunk from what Mrs Patmore saw."
"Jimmy. What's happened to him? Is he alright?" Daisy asked as the next group found them.
"Hmn..."
"He's waking up."
"James? James, can you hear me?" Tom asked him.
"Hmn... I dance in the...in the sunlight way..." James said before he coughed and some blood came out of his mouth.
"Ok, that's not good. Mrs Hughes, can you take him and the others to the car, then on to the hospital?"
"What are you planning to do Mr Branson?"
"I need to find Thomas. If James is in this state, Thomas may have been caught up in the same altercation and he could be hurt."
"Alright. Alfred, Daisy, can you lift him together?" Mrs Hughes said and Tom went in search of Thomas.
~
"Thomas? Thomas, are you out here?" Tom called as he was searching for Thomas. "Thomas?"
"Ah..."
"Thomas?"
"Branson," Thomas called as loud as he could, and he heard Tom stand still.
"Thomas?" He asked as he waited for the call back.
"Branson. Argh!"
"Thomas? Oh my good Lord, what happened to you?" Tom called as he ran to him. Sitting under the bridge, Thomas was covered in blood and he had his good hand pressing against a wound in his stomach.
"I... argh," Thomas said before he winced and strained.
"Let me see," Tom said as he knelt beside him and Thomas loosened the pressure on the wound for the moment. Blood came pouring out and Tom panicked. "Put pressure back onto it. This is not good."
"They... they stabbed me."
"With what?" Tom asked as panic filled him.
"A knife. Argh!"
"Is this connected to James?"
"ARGH!" Thomas screamed as Tom also put pressure onto the wound.
"I'm sorry Thomas, but we have to stop the bleeding."
"It's too late for that."
"No it isn't."
"If you tried to... argh," Thomas said as he winced and strained with pain. "Move me. I will die..."
"I have to try."
"You are," Thomas said and Tom looked at him. "Just for finding me..."
"I can get you to my car Thomas. We will get you to the hospital and..."
"I was trying to save him."
"What? James?" Tom asked and Thomas nodded. "You love him don't you?"
"I do," Thomas said before he breathed out, and he started to cry.
"Hey. They'll be none of that Thomas."
"I'm going to die."
"No you're not. I'm going to make sure that you're not."
"I'm gay Mr Branson. All my life I've tried to cover it up, and I..."
"No. Save your strength. You have been very brave to step in to save James. He's on the way to the hospital right now, and that's where we're going to be heading. Come on, we need to get you up."
"No..."
"I insist. Thomas, you need to stand up," Tom said and he stood up, wrapping his other arm around Thomas, he tried to help him up.
"Stop this..."
"Stand up Thomas."
"Stop," Thomas said, and he put his bad hand onto Tom. Tom looked at him and saw that Thomas's eyes were half closed. He had grown paler and blood was running through both their hands. "Please..." Thomas said, his voice was growing weak and raspy.
"I need to stand you up. I need to get you to a hospital Thomas."
"No hospital can... help me now..." Thomas said. He was getting quieter and losing his breath. "I have been so cruel... Things I have said... and done..."
"We all make mistakes Thomas. And you can't change who you are."
"I could have been... better. Much... better..."
"You can be better, and you will be," Tom said as he knelt back down. "You have saved James, and you love him as you said yourself. You are a kind man, under all your façade," Tom said and Thomas smiled.
"Thank you. ... But I do not..."
"Alright," Tom said and tears came to his eyes and he started to accept Thomas's condition. Thomas was growing ever paler, he was losing more blood and he was becoming increasingly unconscious. "Can you look at me? Can you do that?" Tom asked and Thomas opened his eyes a little. "Good. Now listen to me. I can't move you, not like this. If I do... you will die before we reach the car."
"Tell me something... I don't..."
"I will," Tom said and Thomas watched him. "You haven't just saved James. You were a medic in the war, you helped to save many lives of solders that you didn't even know."
"Sybil..."
"Yes. Yes... just like Sybil," Tom said and Thomas moved his bad hand. Tom took it and he looked again at Thomas. "You are a good man. And..."
"Say it," Thomas said as Tom paused and tears were falling down his face.
"You will die a good man."
"Thank you. I am not... not ashamed of..."
"Nor should you be. You will be missed Thomas. By us, by the servants, by James. Your final act will not go unpraised. And it was done out of love," Tom said and Thomas managed to smile a little as life was leaving him.
"I was... scared..." Thomas said as he tried to get enough breath for his final words. "...of showing... love."
...
"Thomas?" Tom asked as Thomas's breathing stopped. "Thomas?" He asked again, and let go of Thomas's bad hand. Feeling for a pulse, he felt Thomas's limp hand under his own still fixed on the stab wound that had killed Thomas.
Tom removed his hand and released the pressure. Blood trickled out of the wound and he tried to comfort his tears. Mr Barrow was dead, and there had been nothing that Tom had been able to do to save him.
~
"Tom. You're back late."
"Is everything alright?" Lady Mary asked as she and Matthew joined Lord Grantham.
"No my lady."
"What's happened?"
"Can you please call for Carson and Mrs Hughes."
"Of course," Lord Grantham said and Lady Mary called for them.
"Is James here?"
"He is. He was cleared by the doctor and he is upstairs resting."
"Good. I'm glad."
"You called for us my Lord?" Carson asked as he arrived.
"It wasn't me, it was Mr Branson."
"Oh."
"What can we do for you Mr Branson?"
"It's Thomas Barrow. He's dead."
"Dead?"
"What?"
"Yes. After we found James, I stayed to look for Thomas. I found him under a bridge, and he had been stabbed."
"Good Lord."
"Oh Thomas."
"What happened next?"
"He was bleeding, very badly. The wound was deep and... he only had a few minutes left to live," Tom said and everyone was in shock. "I stayed with him until he... he died. Then, I took his body to the hospital."
"You did the right thing. Thank you. Carson, will you tell the staff?"
"Of course my Lord."
"Thomas was a slippery character, but I was starting to like him," Matthew admitted.
"He did improve with time."
"Mr Branson," Mrs Hughes said and they turned to her. She was crying and Lady Mary went over to her. "Thank you for being with him in his final moments."
"It was my pleasure. I'm just deeply sorry that there was nothing I could do to save him," Tom said and tears shone in his eyes.
"You did all that you could. Come, you must be tired."
"Take Tom upstairs Matthew, Mary would you be able to escort Mrs Hughes to her room?"
"Of course I will," Lady Mary said and she went with Mrs Hughes while Matthew took Tom to his room. Carson told the downstairs staff and they held a ceremony for Thomas the following day.
