Hey everyone, thanks again for the reviews! This chapter is a very interesting one!
Christine's POV
There was no changing my mind. My mind was made up. I was going to search for Erik on my own no matter what it took. I wasn't going to listen to the nurses and everyone else about waiting. The last time I had see Erik, he was hurt, and I needed to find him. I waited, until night had fallen, and snuck out of the hospital ward. I draped myself in a dark cloak, and headed towards the incline plane. I hid behind a bush, and waited for everyone to unload. While it was being unattended, I snuck inside, and laid down on the floor behind a few sandbags that were piled up against the wall.
I stayed hidden as the two drivers worked the car down the mountain. It took several minutes, but when we were finally back on the ground, I stayed hidden until the two men left to go search out more bodies. I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head, and began wandering the flooded and muddy streets, hoping to back track and come across Erik. Debris was scattered in every direction, destroyed houses sticking out of the mud….People, dead people laying everywhere. I was so scared. All I wanted was to find Erik and go home.
"Hey! What are you doing?" came a man's voice.
I turned around to see one who had steered the incline plane, coming towards me.
"What are you doing?"
"Searching for my husband."
"You should be up on the mountain." he said. "Come, I'll take you there."
He tried to grab my arm, but I snatched it away from him.
"I was already there, and I'm not going to waist another moment. I am going to find my husband."
"Have you checked the hospital ward on the mountain? Or the death tents?"
"Don't you think I already tried that! Why would I have risked my life coming all the way down here if I didn't check there first."
"Look, miss, your husband is probably dead. We just haven't found his body yet."
Tears burned my eyes, but I wouldn't give up. I was going to find Erik, dead or alive.
"I'm not going back to the mountain until I find him."
I knew the man was aggravated with me for not obeying his command, but that didn't stop him from trying to coax me back to the mountain.
"Fine. If you're not going to go back to the mountain with me, at least let me help you narrow down your search."
"How?" I asked, grateful for the man's help.
"What did he look like?"
"He was tall, thin, and had a disfigured face."
I knew right when I mentioned Erik's disfigurement that the man knew something about him. He looked away as if he hadn't heard a word I said, but I knew otherwise.
"What?" I asked.
"There's another tent. I…I'm sorry to tell you this, but I believe your husband is dead."
I didn't want to believe it! I didn't want to hear a word he was saying.
"Where is this tent?"
"It's on the other side of town. We were ordered to take any dead bodies there that looked too gruesome to bring up to the mountain. You know, people with no heads, no eyes…What ever might upset the people on the mountain. I found a man a few hours ago looking just how you described him."
"Then I want to see him for myself."
"I don't think it would be appropriate, miss."
"Take me to the tent!" I demanded. "If you say my husband is dead then I want to see him for myself."
"And if he is, will you stop fussing and come with me to the mountain?"
I nodded, and the man began leading me through the rubble towards the tent. I prayed, oh how I prayed that this wasn't true. That my Erik wasn't going to be laying in this tent. I was cold, muddy and only wanted to see Erik once more. I wanted to see him alive, but I feared that once I reached the tent, I was going to see his mangled body laying with many others. My heart began to race once we reached a tent on the other side of Johnstown. The man held open the door for me, and I entered, quickly covering my nose to hide the stench of rotting death that filled the air. On the ground there were several bodies with white sheets covering each one. The man lead me to a tall body that was towards the back of the tent.
"This is him."
"Lift up the sheet."
"Miss, I don't think you want to see him."
"Yes, I do. I want to look this man in the eyes and know that it's my husband."
The man nodded, and slowly bent down, and lifted the sheet just below his head. I took a breath, ready to glance down and see my Erik laying there, but when I did, I felt the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. This man was not Erik…. The disfigurement this man had was brought on by glass stuck in his face. He didn't even look like Erik…
"That's not my husband."
The man looked down at the body and then back at me.
"Are you sure?"
"I think I know who I've been married to for the past eight years. This man is most certainly not my husband. My husband was deformed at birth, not by a few shards of glass."
The man covered the body back up, and I followed him out of the foul smelling tent.
"So where do I look now?" I questioned.
"Look, you husband isn't the only husband missing in this town. I don't have time to assist you in finding him. There are probably about five hundred more bodies that I have yet to find and take to the death tents."
"And I completely understand what you're saying." I said. "But just tell me if there are any other hospital wards up and working at this very hour besides the two on the mountain."
The man nodded.
"Yes, there is one more. It's about a five minute walk from here."
"And what patients are housed there?"
"Injured victims that are possibly dying and don't remember a thing about the flood or where their family's are."
I thanked the man, and dashed off, hoping to find Erik there. I stepped over debris, fallen trees, and household objects that were sinking in the mud. When I arrived, I took a breath and entered through the front door. The place was just like the hospital I had been put into. It was lined with cots, each filled with a different patient. I stood there gasping for air, and looking around frantically for Erik. It was then that a nurse came walking over to me dressed in white, carrying a bed pan.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, I'm looking for my husband. I've been searching all over for him. I thought maybe I would check here."
"At least someone has come forward looking for their loved one. Everyone that's here is in critical condition. They also have no idea on what happened to them, or where their family is. You're more than welcomed to look around."
"I think you might have remembered my husband if he's here. His face is deformed terribly."
The nurse thought a moment, and I could see it in her eyes that she knew something.
"Yes, actually your husband has come through here. Or at least I hope so."
I followed the nurse through the building, passing lines and lines of cots. All the way at the end, there was a section covered in white privacy drapes, and the nurse led me through it. Once inside, there was a single cot placed out, with a body laying in it…but not just any body, it was Erik! He was unconscious, his arm that had been twisted and dislocated was bandaged to his chest, and he looked like he was in a tremendous amount of agony.
"Is that him?" the nurse asked.
"Yes, yes…." I cried.
"He doesn't remember a thing, though he's only been awake once."
"What's wrong with him?"
"They found him lodged in between two trees, face down in the mud. The lower part of his body is horribly bruised, and his lower back is fractured. We also believe his lungs to be filled with muddy water. If he pulls through, it's likely that he'll be coughing up black debris for a while."
"He doesn't remember anything?" I questioned. "Did he mention me at all?"
"Not once. He just mumbled something about his pain and fell unconscious again."
"Do you mind if I stay?"
"No, not at all. It be good for someone he knows to be here when he wakes."
I took a seat at his bedside, and ran my fingers through his hair. His face was pale and cold to the touch, but I was glad he was alright. I wanted him to know I was here, I wanted him to know that I hadn't given up on him. I then began to sing to him, hoping he would hear me and know I was there for him.
"No more talk of darkness
Forget these wide eyes fears
I'm here nothing can harm you
My words will warm and calm you
Let me be your freedom
Let daylight dry your tears
I'm here with you beside you
To guard you and to guide you.
Say you love me every waking moment
Turn my head with talk of summertime
Say you need me with you now and always
Promise me that all you say is true
Love me that's all I ask of you
Let me be your shelter
Let me be your light
You're safe no one will find you
Your fears are far behind you
Say you'll share with me one love
One lifetime
Say the word and I will follow you
Share each day with me
Each night each morning
Say you love me
You know I do
Love me that's all I ask of you
Anywhere you go let me go too
Love me that's all I ask of you."
When I finished singing, I heard the low muffled words of my name escape his lips.
"Ch…Christine."
I smiled, and pressed a kiss to his malformed cheek.
"Yes, Erik, I'm here."
There was a glass of water sitting on the bedside table, and I picked it up to hold it against Erik's lips. He coughed, and slowly opened his eyes. When I looked into them, I noticed that his right eye was bloody due to a broken blood vessel.
"Stay still, Erik." I instructed.
"I…I…can't feel…."
I intertwined my hand with his, and lightly squeezed it.
"What? You can't feel what?"
My husband began closing his eyes again, but I couldn't let him.
"Erik, stay awake."
"I'm too…too…"
"Where does it hurt, Erik?"
Erik slowly pulled my hand over the lower part of his stomach, and looked up at me.
"There, Erik?"
"Y..Yes.."
"The nurse said you're terribly bruised down in that area, Erik."
Moments later the nurse came in carrying a bed pan full of steaming towels.
"Oh, he's awake."
"He's having a hard time staying awake." I said. "He's also having trouble dealing with the pain."
The nurse pulled the blankets on Erik's cot down to his knees. My husband was only dressed in nothing but a long white shirt that came down to his knees. His legs were terribly bruised, but when the nurse lifted his shirt, the sight was even worse. The flesh from his bellybutton all the way to his thighs was purple and black. Tears formed in my eyes as I heard him groan the moment the nurse gently grazed the bruises with her fingers. She then began placing the steaming towels over Erik's entire lower half, and covered him back up.
"That should help him with the bruises."
When the nurse left again, I took a seat at Erik's side to comfort him.
"Does that feel better?"
"It burns, that's for sure."
Erik closed his eyes, and nestled his head into my chest.
"What do you remember?"
"Nothing."
"What is the last thing you remember?"
My husband thought a few moments, and sighed.
"Getting food from the kitchen."
I knew Erik was tired, and so when he closed his eyes, I let him sleep. I soon slunk back into my bedside chair, to wait until he woke again.
I sat there for the longest time, looking around at the privacy drapes or at Erik's sleeping body. But even I was exhausted from such events over the past day or two. When my eyes became too heavy to keep open, I drifted off to sleep. I tried not to stay asleep any longer than a few moments or so. I wanted to make sure to stay completely awake as possible just incase Erik needed something. When I heard footsteps entering through the privacy drapes, I continued to sleep, thinking that it was just the nurse checking on Erik again. Though when I began to hear a strange jabbing sound, my eyes shot open, and there standing over Erik was Raoul stabbing my husband over and over again with a knife.
"Now it's time to leave!" he snarled, Erik's blood squirting all over the white privacy drapes.
I screamed, and jolted awake in my chair. I gasped to catch my breath, and looked around frantically searching for any signs of Raoul, but I was relieved when I realized it was all a dream. My eyes even glanced over Erik's body….he was completely fine, and still asleep. I missed Gustave with all my heart, and wanted to be with him again as soon as possible. He was probably worried sick about the both of us. Deciding to get some fresh air and stretch my legs, I stood up and took a walk around the hospital ward. To my surprise, I noticed two men loading a patient onto a stretcher. I thought maybe the patient had died, but as I got closer, I saw that he was wide awake.
"He's going home to stay with relatives in Philadelphia." a familiar voice said.
I turned around, to see the one of the nurses tending to a nearby patient.
"How does one transfer out of here?" I asked.
"Depends on how bad the condition of the patient is."
"I thought everyone that came to this tent was in critical condition."
"Yes, but some cases are worse than others. Why do you ask?"
"Because I'm from Coney Island. I thought maybe my husband could be transferred back home."
"I'll put in a request. You'll probably be home in the next few days. The mayor's trying to get everyone who doesn't live here out of Johnstown as quickly as possible."
And just as the nurse had said, our request came through the following day. Because of Erik's terrible bruising, the nurse came in early the day we were leaving to prepare him for the long journey home. She strapped pillows to every part of his lower body, and bound him up tightly so he couldn't move a muscle. We both knew that the bumpy ride home would aggravate his injuries if he was constantly moving his body. To insure no embarrassment towards my husband, I put together something to cover his deformity from the people who were taking us home. It wasn't much, just a folded towel with eye holes and an opening for him to breath out of, but it would have to do until we got back to Coney Island and I could get him his mask.
After what seemed to be an eternity, two men finally came in, and placed Erik's body into a stretcher, and carried him out of the hospital. I followed the men through Johnstown, stepping over debris and deep puddles of water. Erik groaned from the swaying movement he was feeling, but there was nothing I could do. The men carried him all the way to the main road where Johnstown ended, where a horse drawn cart with a canopy stretched over it was waiting. The two men loaded Erik into the back, and I hopped in beside him. I was never so glad to see land in my entire life. I was so tired after such a rough couple of days, that I settled down beside Erik's body and closed my eyes, falling asleep to the vibrations of the galloping horses that were taking us home.
After several hours of listening to Erik groan each time we would hit a bump in the road, we arrived back at Coney Island. It was late, and Phantasma was closed down for the evening. The men driving the carriage had asked several times during the trip where they would be dropping us off at. I knew in order to keep us both safe and out of Raoul's sight, we would have to stay somewhere that Raoul didn't know of. I knew if we returned to the flat, Raoul would probably be inside waiting for us. Though, I prayed to God that the bastard didn't make it out of the flood….alive!
I gave the drivers directions to Dr. Gangle's café, and had them pull around back. The café was crowded with everyone from Mr. Squelch to Meg. I had asked the drivers to stay put a few moments while I went in through the back door to clear things up with Dr. Gangle. After sneaking in through the back door, I was relieved to find Dr. Gangle pouring tea into a tray of mugs he had placed in front of him. I tapped on his broad shoulder, causing him to almost drop the tea pot.
"Christine?" his eyes widened as if he were seeing a ghost. "We've been worried sick about you….where's Erik?"
The man didn't care, he wrapped his arms around me, giving me an extremely tight hug.
"Gustave has been worried sick, Christine."
"I know…I have a lot of explaining to do. But I will only tell you if you promise to keep it a secret for now."
"Anything for you, Christine. I'm just glad you're ok."
I tried to make my story as short as possible, explaining to Dr. Gangle about how Raoul had once been my childhood friend and came to Phantasma as a complete psycho. I then went on to explain the Johnstown flood, and what had happened to us, right before asking him if it would be alright to stay in his upstairs room."
"Yes, yes, bring him right in. We'll go the back way."
I was never so happy to have a friend like Dr. Gangle. He came outside with me, and directed the men inside who were carrying Erik again. We took the outside stairs to the top bedroom rather than taking him in through the café where everyone was hanging. I knew in order to stay away from Raoul, we had to stay away from any living soul in Phantasma. I didn't doubt for one moment that Meg would likely turn us into Raoul if we pissed her off by not giving her something she wanted. Of course she was happy with the strange aria Erik had written her, but nothing satisfied her for long…. We had been gone a few days, and by now, she was probably searching Erik out to get something else. I knew it would be a while before he would be back up and working again; something that always made Meg angry.
When we reached 's extra room, the men placed Erik down on the bed, and walked away. I thanked them greatly, and began tending to Erik's body. He was in a tremendous amount of agony, and Dr. Gangle tried to help by bringing me up some milk and honey to give him. Only when he came up, Gustave was following him. The boy looked exhausted and stressed, but he was never so glad to see me.
"Mother!" he ran into my arms, and I hugged him tightly, thankful that he was in my arms again. "I've missed you so much!"
"Me too, Gustave, me too…."
"What's wrong with papa?"
"He'll be fine." I assured. "he just needs his rest. I'll explain everything after we all get a good night's rest."
My son yawned, seeming as if he hadn't slept a wink since we left him. Dr. Gangle set up a few quilts on the floor, and placed Gustave on it.
"You get some rest now, boy."
"Are you sure it's alright that we stay here?" I asked.
"Absolutely, and no one will even know that you're here."
Once more, I hugged Dr. Gangle, thanking him for his kindness, and laid down beside my son, holding him in my arms.
"I thought I had become an orphan."
"No, Gustave, you're never going to lose us."
"When can we go home?"
I wanted to return to the flat just as badly as he did, but what could I tell him? We probably weren't going to be able to return home for a long time. Even when we did return, what was going to happen with Raoul? I had no idea where he was, which possibly meant that he could be in Coney Island, waiting for us.
"I'm not sure." I told him. "Your father is very ill right now."
"I'm just glad you're back."
I smiled, and hugged my son tightly.
"Me too, Gustave…Me too…"
I sighed in relief, just before drifting off to sleep. We were finally safe…At least for now.
Ok please let me know what you think! Thanks again guys! I love you all!