Chapter 3 – Fever

Mme. Giry barely slept that night. She could not get Erik out of her mind, the way he had looked, the way he had sounded. Losing Christine had been a terrible blow for him. Ever since he had first laid eyes on her ten years ago, Christine had had a positive influence on Erik. If anybody could make him smile, it was her. If anything could make him happy it was caring for her, helping her, being there for her. Christine had been the sunshine in Erik's life, the main purpose of his continued existence ever since he had decided to become the angel of music for her. Mme. Giry suspected that Erik had already loved Christine long before she had grown into the woman he found desirable. His heart would probably have chosen Christine even if she had been plain.

Unfortunately, Christine's feelings for Erik had not been quite as strong. While Mme. Giry had no doubts that Christine did care for Erik in her own way, the young woman had obviously fallen in love with her childhood friend. It was a pity, Mme. Giry thought, but then, it was Christine's life. The young woman certainly had the right to decide who she wanted to spend this life with, and she had chosen the young Vicomte.

Her thoughts returned to what little Erik had told her about the confrontation between him and Christine's fiancé. He must have been desperate. He had tried to force Christine to love him by threatening to kill the young nobleman if she did not stay with him. Poor Erik! Didn't he know that a person's heart could not be told whom it should love? He seemed to understand that now, but he had to put Christine through such an ordeal first before he accepted that her heart did not belong to him.

Poor Christine! The past months must already have been hard on her, with her "angel" and her childhood sweetheart competing for her affection . Mme. Giry was certain that the two men's rivalry must have hurt the young woman who cared for both of them. They were both so jealous, and both full of hatred. The Vicomte had done his best to have Erik captured, if not killed, during last night's performance and from what Erik had told her, he had tried the same with the young man later. Raoul had forced Christine to act as bait for Erik, and Erik had forced her to give up on her love for her fiancé to save the latter's life. Mme. Giry had a feeling that both men had hurt Christine terribly, even though both loved her.

How had last night's events affected Christine? She was so sensitive, and still so young and inexperienced. Would she be able to put the horrors of this night behind her? Would the actions taken by her two competing suitors leave scars on her psyche? The more Mme. Giry thought about it, the more worried she became about the young woman. As badly shaken as Erik was at the moment, he was a man and he was used to rejection. It would take time, but she was confident that he would be able to accept the situation and to carry on. But what about Christine? Mme. Giry finally fell asleep from exhaustion, only to fight nightmares in which Christine and her two suitors all three hurt themselves and each other badly in the name of love.

Xxxx

When Meg finally got up the next morning, she found her mother had already been to the nearby baker's shop and got some fresh croissants for breakfast. While she herself felt well rested, her mother seemed nervous, though, deeply worried.

"No news about Christine, I take it?" she asked, trying to hide her own concern for her friend's well-being. Her mother glanced at her briefly, interrupting her breakfast preparations and stated flatly, "Christine is with the Vicomte."

Meg's jaw dropped. "What? How? Did the Phan… Erik tell you that?" Mme. Giry nodded. "He said he let her go with the Vicomte. It broke his heart," she added. "Never have I seen anybody as deeply hurt as him." Meg stared at her. "How can you feel sorry for somebody like him?" she asked her mother, astounded.

"He is not a bad person," Mme. Giry explained. "Though I know he has done some bad things. He is a troubled soul, who has known very little kindness in his life." Then she began to tell her daughter everything she knew about Erik. How he had been abused by the gypsies at a very tender age, how she had helped him escape, how he left when she met Meg's father and returned a couple of years later, severely depressed, how meeting the equally depressed Christine had given his life new meaning, and how his feelings for Christine had turned into love.

Meg was moved. She began to understand why her mother thought of the Phantom – Erik – like a brother and why Christine had cared so deeply about her angel. She now realized how much Christine meant to the disfigured man, and began to feel compassion for him, even though she was of the opinion that Christine should be allowed to freely choose who she wanted to spend her life with.

"He knows that now, too," Mme. Giry whispered. "In the end he let her go, so that she can have the life she wants. He loves her that much." Meg nodded. She had no experience with love yet, but it made her sad that such a deep love as Erik obviously felt for her surrogate sister could not be returned.

"What now?" asked Meg, once her mother had finished her story. "Where did he go? What do we do now?" Mme. Giry shook her head. "I do not know where he is. He wouldn't tell me, won't write either. He wants us to be able to swear that we do not know where he is. He stays away to protect us and keep us safe." Meg smiled. Her mother was right. This Erik definitely had his good side. If he had been treated kindly and with love from the start, he probably would have been a caring individual.

"We have to get in touch with Christine, though," Mme. Giry continued. "Make sure, she is all right. I am not quite certain if we can go to the de Chagny mansion and ask to see her. After all, officially nobody has informed us of her whereabouts, but maybe I can go and ask to speak to the Vicomte under the pretext that I want to learn if he has any news about Christine." Meg nodded. "We can do that." She smiled. "Let me do that. If I get to see her, she will probably talk to me more freely than she would to you. At least I hope I will be allowed to see her… "

Mme. Giry sighed. She had feared the same. The Vicomte knew that there was a certain connection between her and Erik. After all, she had shown him the way to Erik's lair. What if he feared she was acting on his rival's instructions, somehow trying to get Christine under the Phantom's influence again? She shook her head. No, if he voiced such a suspicion she would have to point out that she was on his side, had betrayed the Phantom's trust by telling him where he could find the Phantom and Christine.

Xxxx

After breakfast Meg set out to try her luck and see if she would be allowed to talk to Christine. Once she reached the large de Chagny-mansion, she asked to see the Vicomte. At first the condescending butler did not want to admit her, but once she said it was important and to tell the Vicomte that her name was Meg Giry, the man's attitude changed and she was immediately lead into a small parlor, where Raoul joined her a few minutes later.

"Mlle. Giry!" the rather pale young nobleman greeted her. "I assume you come to see Christine?" Meg nodded. "I wanted to ask if you had found her," she explained. "We didn't hear from her last night, so we thought maybe you have some news…"

The Vicomte sneezed. He obviously had caught a cold the previous night. "Excuse me," he apologized. "I would have sent for your mother if I had known where to find her," he began to explain. Meg frowned. It was true that the Vicomte did not have their current address, but Christine knew about the house. Surely she would have told him? "Christine knows our address," she stated calmly.

"'Oh, I have no doubt about it," the Vicomte retorted. "It is just that Christine…" He paused, his eyes suddenly full of worry. "She collapsed last night," he finally mumbled. "She is running a high fever. At first we thought she had caught a cold as well, but the doctor has informed me that it is obviously more serious." Meg paled visibly. "How is she?" she asked. The Vicomte shook his head. "I wish I could tell you. Apparently she has been under a lot of stress and the fever is the reaction to it." He bit his lip. "That blasted demon," he murmured under his breath, "that is his doing." Meg had to admit that yesterday she would have agreed with him. Today, though, after her conversation with her mother, she had come to the conclusion that both men, Erik and Raoul alike, had put a lot of pressure on Christine and that her current illness was therefore both their fault.

"Both love her," she thought. "Neither would knowingly, willingly hurt her, and yet, if she does not survive this fever, they will have killed her." It dawned on her that love was more than a romantic infatuation. It could be strong and powerful and passionate, exhilarating, but also dangerous.

"May I see her?" she finally asked. The Vicomte gave her an uncertain look. "I had hoped your mother would be able and willing to sit with Christine," he said uneasily. Christine was delirious and he was not sure this young lady could handle the sight of her raving friend. "I know that your mother has raised Christine and that she thinks of Christine like another daughter. I hoped that maybe her surrogate mother's presence…" Meg nodded, she understood. "I will go and get her," she promised.

Xxxx

An hour later Mme. Giry arrived at the de Chagny mansion, her features stiff and unreadable. When Meg had told her about Christine's illness, she had almost collapsed herself. "This is your fault as well," she had thought. "That confrontation between the two men, having to watch Erik threaten her beloved fiancé, fearing for her boy's life, sacrificing her own happiness with Raoul to keep him alive, accepting a life at the side of the man who was about to kill her lover, that all must have been too much for her. I meant well, when I sent the Vicomte after them, but it seems I have hurt them both, my foster brother and my surrogate daughter."

The whole way to the de Chagny-mansion she was praying like she had never prayed before, asking God to punish her, not Christine, for her interference. To let Christine live and make a full recovery, so that she could finally put the past behind and start a new life with the man she loved.

Once she arrived at the mansion, she was immediately shown to the guest room which had been assigned to Christine. She sat down next to the bed and took Christine's burning hot hand in her own. Christine looked terrible. Her face was deadly pale except for her cheeks which were an unhealthy, feverish red. Her eyes were open, yet it was clear that she did not recognize the ballet mistress. Mme. Giry knew at once that the young woman's illness was a serious one. She mentally prepared herself for a long stay at the de Chagny mansion, for she would not leave Christine until she was out of danger.

Xxxx

Mme. Giry barely left Christine's bed for the next few days, cooling the burning forehead and temples with a wet cloth, washing the fever sweat off her body, trying to make her drink some water, holding her hand, soothing her when she became delirious.

Listening to the young woman's delirious outbreaks gave Mme. Giry a good idea of the psychological trauma her two suitors had put her through. In her fever-induced dreams the young woman called out to both men, conjuring Raoul and her Angel not to hurt each other, begging first one and then the other to forgive her.

Mme. Giry was worried sick, when she relived Christine's fears and pain with her by listening to her ravings. One moment Christine was begging Raoul not to use her as bait to catch her angel, to leave him alone and let him go, the next moment she was screaming at her angel not to harm her fiancé, not to force her to stay with him. Then she whimpered "forgive me, oh, please forgive me!" Mme. Giry was not quite sure whom she asked to forgive her. Raoul for having promised to stay with Erik? Erik for having acted as bait?

The Vicomte was not allowed into the sickroom. Thanks to his prolonged stay in the cold water of the subterranean lake he had caught a severe cold. Therefore the doctor was concerned that Christine might catch his cold on top of whatever type of nervous fever she had contracted. As it was, he was worried enough about the young woman without such an additional complication.

Given Christine's fever dreams, Mme. Giry was glad Raoul was not allowed to see her. She had a feeling that in her current condition Christine was not able to handle any reminder of the ordeal she had been through. That, in her opinion included the Vicomte. Even though Christine loved the man and had been willing to sacrifice her own happiness in order to save his life, he had hurt her just as badly as Erik by forcing her to betray her beloved teacher, her angel.

While Christine's condition did not noticeably improve and Mme. Giry was beginning to get really concerned about her, she became more and more confident that at least she did not have to worry about Erik anymore. By now he must be safe. Every day that passed without news of the Phantom's capture brought him further away, closer to safety. She was not sure whether he had tried to leave the country by sea or land, but after a week she was certain that he would have reached either England or Belgium in the meantime.

She thanked God that he had helped Erik escape and prayed that he might heal his broken heart and to let Christine recover as well.

Xxxx

Christine's fever had been equally high for over a week. Christine was getting weaker every day, her body seemed less and less able to fight the disease. The doctor's frown deepened when he checked on her. He did not have much hope left. "If only we could break her fever," he muttered. "But she has been pretty unresponsive to everything we have tried." Mme. Giry nodded. "It's her soul that is sick," she murmured. "I cannot really do anything to heal her soul," the doctor commented. "Somebody else will have to help her. I am at the end of my knowledge in this case."

Mme. Giry watched him, as he left. She was furious at the man. Of course she knew that he had tried everything he could think of, without success, but he was practically giving up on Christine while she was still alive. She would not do that. She would fight for Christine's life, stay with Christine, till she either got better or died. Christine began to toss again, calling for Raoul and her Angel, crying in fear, begging them to stop the killing, the insanity, asking them to forgive her. She became more and more agitated. Mme. Giry grasped her hand and gently caressed it. Her heart went out to the young woman who had suffered so much at the hands of the two men who loved her.

"Calm down, Christine," she murmured. "This is all over. Everything has been resolved. You need not worry anymore. They are both safe, your fiancé and your teacher. Neither of them is harmed. And they both love you. They both are sorry that they have put you through so much pain. They understand now. They accept your decision now. Both of them. They ask you to forgive them for the stress they have put you through. Calm down, all is well. Fight the fever and stay with us. You cannot leave us all now when the pain is behind and you can finally be happy."

Mme. Giry continued to repeat these words over and over, assuring Christine that everything was fine, that the future would be bright and that the two men would not put her under pressure anymore. After a while she noticed that Christine seemed less agitated. She was not imploring her two suitors anymore, she was almost smiling. "Safe," she murmured. "Love."

Christine leant back on her pillows, closed her eyes and with a faint smile on her face, she fell asleep. Mme. Giry barely dared to hope, but when she touched the sleeping woman's forehead, it had cooled off considerably. The fever had broken. She sat down quietly next to the bed and thanked God for his mercy. "At least she can be happy now," she murmured, once again thinking of the man who loved her surrogate daughter so much that he had set her free, even though doing so had broken his heart.

Christine slept the whole night and most of the next day. When she finally woke in the late afternoon, she smiled at Mme. Giry. "I thought it was you," she said dreamily. "I was not sure how you could possibly be here, but I thought I heard you speak. Is it true? Is everything fine now? Will there be no further fights and competition?" Mme. Giry smiled at her. "It is true. You and the Vicomte can get married and have the life together that the two of you have dreamed about."