Disclaimer: No one but ALW owns POTO. Even Leroux didn't get a piece of that pie.

Thank you, Susan, for being my beta-proofreader, and helping me knock off these last chapters. The end is within sight with two chapters left to post. I kept this chapter short to put an end to this part of their ordeal. The rest will be in the next chapter. I wanted to wind down slowly; otherwise it would look like I was racing through this chapter ending everything too quickly.

Thanks go to all of my faithful readers, and to those who have left reviews. They are: Chapusera; inkblottales; Kelsismom; Pertie, and Keyklee.

Previous chapter: Kristine had collapsed and had been rushed to the hospital. Erik found out they had lost their baby. Hurt, anger and despair settled in.

Chapter 48: Still raw and hurting

Erik leaned against the wall down the hall from Kristine's room. He needed the space from the hospital staff's prying eyes; the medical staff meant well, but felt a certain curiosity. When the lab nurse left his wife's room, he hurried back to her side. He refused to leave her alone in the room until she came out of her comatose state. He wanted to be there to comfort her if she would let him.

After her parents left, the doctor came in and administered a shot to make her sleep. He had been honest in telling Erik he didn't know how long she would be in this state; by morning, he had said, they should know something.

The room was semi-dark, with the light diffused for the nurse's use. Erik sat back down in the chair he had put by the bed. He reached in through the bed rails, grasping her pale hand in his. She was hooked up to IVs and monitors. Her free hand had a bandage to cover where the lab nurse had taken blood.

He closed his hands around hers and began to pray for guidance and help for himself as well as Kristine. She now was safe -- that was all that mattered. No amount of wishing would bring back the past, and he had to move forward. He hoped she would return to him with little or no emotional damage. All that could be heard in the room was his whisper, a plea for God to make her better. What he wanted, more than life itself, was for his Kristine to be as she was before, in mind and spirit. Erik let the tears flow, not caring who could see. He felt his anger, hate, hurting, and loss being released from his body.

The morning began to pass, and more light made its way through the window as the sun worked to break through the layers of clouds. Kristine's inner clock started to stir, and her limbs twitched and jerked. She seemed to tug at something that seemed to be holding her arm down. She moaned as a sharp pain shot up her arm. Erik moved when he heard her stir.

"Erik?" she asked. "What happened? I had a nightmare that I can't seem to understand. Where am I?" she pleaded.

He pulled his head up as he rubbed the back of his neck. He had fallen asleep for an hour or so, causing it to ache.

"Kristine, darling, you're awake. I told you last night. Don't you remember anything?" he said in answer to her questions. Would he have to explain it again? He just couldn't do that and hear her plead with him to deny that it had happened.

"What do you remember, my angel?" He had to see what she had remembered first before he went any further.

"I remember heading to the bathroom at my parents' home. I felt strange, and then I remember some strange people came and took me away. I heard a loud noise for a while, and then it stopped. Louder voices, along with orders yelled….things were foggy. You were near me, crying. My mother and dad came around, and then more strange people hovered over me. I remember nothing after that, everything's blank. No, wait! You came back again, I think, saying something was gone. I kept saying no…. something about a baby, and….saying... no again…." and she stopped. Her hand rose to her mouth. Sudden fear gripped her as she gasped and cried out, "Ohhhh..." She brought her other tube-filled arm up, and covered her eyes as best she could. Erik reached over on the bed and cradled her, trying to comfort her as best he could.

"The baby, it's gone!" was what he heard her say in hushed tones through her hands. She reached up and put her arms around him and held on very tightly. They cried together for their loss.

She had remembered it all. Now she would go through the natural grieving process one does when one feels a loss. The denial stage was over.

Charles and Anne had just entered the room, and they saw them embrace, so they backed out, returning to the hall. They wanted them to grieve alone for a while, knowing that the cold reality of it all must have fully dawned on their daughter. They leaned back on the wall for support. Anne kept pushing the door open slightly to see how they were doing. After some time, she could see Erik and Kristine sitting there, looking more relaxed. He held her as they looked out the window at the sky. The clouds had parted and the sun rose, turning the sky bright reddish pink with yellow streaks blending with the clouds. It was beautiful and serene. Anne was glad to see Kristine had calmed down, and now the task of recovery could go forward.

"May we come in?" had been heard as Erik turned to see the Daaes in the doorway.

"Of course, please do." He stood so they could get closer to Kristine in bed. Anne hugged her daughter as she dried her eyes with her handkerchief. More tears were spilled as mother and daughter embraced. Charles stayed still while the women took their time. Anne stepped aside to let Charles hold his daughter. To him, she felt so small and helpless right now. They hugged. "Daddy," was what she said to him, nothing more.

"Erik, any news yet from the doctor?" Anne asked.

"No one has been in, it's still early. I bet they should be here shortly," he replied.

"Good -- we hoped to be here when he came in. If you don't mind?" she asked.

"I don't mind. After all, you are Kristine's parents. We have nothing to hide from you regarding her health. I don't think there will be anything else to add to what they said last night. Actually, the blood tests are the only lab reports we need to hear about." He sounded tired when he finished.

"Do you want to go home after the doctor comes in? What about getting a shower and changing your clothes? I can stay here while you're gone. If you choose to go, take all the time you need. I have nowhere to go today." Anne wanted him to take a break and relax. She was sure the whole ordeal had unnerved Erik. Charles was there to take him to the hotel if he wanted to go.

"What do you say, Kristine? Do you want me to stay or go? I'll leave it up to you, my love," he said, gazing into her eyes.

"Erik, you need to clean up and get some food. Why don't you check in with Nadir and Meg while you're gone? Tell them I'm better, and have her stop by when her schedule allows. You can bring me some things from the suite, too. I would like that." She smiled back at him. The break would do them both good, and anyway, she wanted to talk to her mother.

"I guess it's settled. I'll go. Charles, can I get a ride to the hotel? I'll return in my Jeep. That will save you some gas and having to haul me around. My love, make me a list of things you want me to bring back while we wait for the doctor to make his rounds." He would be glad to get out and breathe some fresher air.

Hospitals made him nervous. He felt someone would grab him and try to talk him into surgery on his face. He would have none of that, if they did. She loved him this way, and, moreover, he was happy with the way his face looked. Why change it now? He had found love and acceptance. What else was there in life after that? To him, the rest was just the top of the mountain. Right now, they had hit a hard valley, but they would recover and reach new heights again. He had no doubts about that. Their love was strong and would gain in strength every day. They still had the hurdle of grief to jump over. He knew it would take some time, but Kristine seemed to grasp reality again after the shock of last night had worn off.

The two women were about finished with the list of things she wanted from their room when the doctor walked in.

"Good morning, Kristine. I see you are looking better today. How are you feeling physically? Are you experiencing any discomforts or pains anywhere?" Kristine shook her head to indicate no. "If you do, we can increase your pain medication. I want you to be as pain-free as possible while you are here. It promotes healing. Now, if you would excuse us," the doctor looked towards Erik and her parents, "I need to examine her for a moment." He turned and motioned for them to leave. Erik bristled, but knew he had to exit for a short time. He winked at Kristine and followed her parents out into the hall as the nurse walked in to assist the doctor.

As Erik stood in the hall, trying to keep his mind on anything, he thought about how busy his morning would be. He would try to locate her personal things and pack them into her overnight case. A shower sure sounded good. He relished the thought of hot water soothing the ache in his neck and back from the way he had slept last night. He had e-mails to check about work, and he had to contact his agent, Manny. Things had changed since they had last spoken. His thoughts were interrupted as the nurse left Kristine's room and told them to go back in.

Kristine and the doctor had talked at great length before Erik returned with her parents. The doctor went on to explain his plan for her recovery to them, and he expressed his hope to see she was back to her natural routine in no time. Everything hinged on her mental recovery, and the doctor would see to her physically healing. During the time of the exam, Kristine had told him about her psychologist. It had pleased him, and he said to keep up her visits and to talk about their loss of the baby. Erik assured the doctor he would also keep an eye on her. He would know if she held anything back, and if she thought she could fool him, she had better be prepared to explain why. He never planned on letting her get by with anything, getting her well was on Erik to do list.

Anne proposed that Kristine could come to their home during the day when Erik had other things to do. That way she wouldn't be alone. Erik liked that suggestion; however, it was all up to her what she wanted to do. He would not dictate to her unless she refused to follow the doctor's orders. Charles could see Erik wanted to ask the doctor a few personal questions and wanted privacy. He grabbed Anne's attention and motioned that they should walk into the hall.

Erik wanted to know when they could have sex again. Kristine blushed when he asked that. The doctor preferred for them to hold off for at least four weeks until she had healed inside. He knew it was for the best. Kristine knew there were other ways of getting around this, and her blush turned deeper in color. The doctor smiled. He knew it was his time to exit. It dawned on Erik what she was blushing about, causing him to shuffle, and it was his turn to feel uncomfortable now.

The doctor had explained that she needed to be there one more day, or until her blood count level returned to normal. Her blood count was low, and the infection needed to be monitored. They had given her two high-powered medicines to counter the infections with others that were to follow ever so many days. With the medicines' help, she would rebound if she had the rest she needed and ate a proper diet.

While still alone, Erik gave her a solemn promise that when and if she was ready for another baby, she would be the one to say so. He would be ready at any time. Kristine had asked about taking the pill again, and the doctor had told her she could resume on her next cycle. The decision had been put in her hands. Therapy would help her decide when the time was right.

Thanksgiving was fast approaching. Many of the film's company had descended on Telluride and the community was overjoyed at the boom in economy. The schedule called for a few scenes to be shot by that time, if the weather cooperated. If not, they would look into a change of locations. Time had advanced for the movie and money would be eaten up quickly if they waited any longer. Budgets had to be met and every penny counted. They were to start shooting around Erik, getting the back shots done, or running scenes that he hadn't been scheduled to do. Right now, Erik didn't want his personal life to be sacrificed, so seeing to Kristine's health and well-being was important to him. He knew Kristine would insist that he do what had to be done, and being with her mother was an excellent idea.

"Ready, son?" Charles startled Erik out of his thoughts as he and Anne slipped back into the room undetected.

"Oh, sorry, sir. Yes, I'm ready. You ladies have everything on this list you can think of? If you do think of something, call me, my love." He kissed her lips very passionately. He wanted to stay, but he knew he should go.

She caressed the right side of his face with her hand, smiling at him as she kept doing it. She loved his face. It made her love him more when he went without the mask and you could see the love he had reflecting on his face. She could see it in his eyes. Her mother had privately explained to her what had happened to his mask, and that it was his inability to help Kristine that had caused him to toss his mask in despair that night she had had the surgery. She hoped he would leave it off for a while longer, though she would never tell him that. Kristine wanted him to feel comfortable, and if his need to wear it made him feel better, then so be it. She never broached the subject of his mask's disappearance. It was best left alone.

When the men were gone, she wanted to ask her mother some personal questions. Most women from her mother's era never talked about the loss of a pregnancy that she knew of, out in the open. She wanted to know if her mother had ever lost a child. She needed to find someone who had who could help her understand all the emotions that were building up inside her head. If her mother couldn't answer her, then she would ask for the name of someone to talk to, or a support group to check out. She wanted to heal as much as one could over this.

The women talked while the men ran their errands.

----

Charles dropped off Erik at the hotel. They had noticed no cameras or reporters when they left the hospital, nor any around the hotel. If they were there, they kept that court-ordered distance -- and then some -- from Erik.

After he finished packing the things on her list, Erik prepared to shower. It felt good. The water cascaded down his neck and massaged his spine as it washed over him. He needed to alleviate the tension and tightness around his neck. The sensation felt good, but he broke down when he thought of other selfish tensions he wanted to release and he couldn't as guilt hung over him. Now was not the time for carnal pleasures, not when they both still hurt. He chided himself for the rest of the morning as he finished gathering their things together.

He took time to call her parents and fill them in on everything. They expressed great relief that Kristine would leave the hospital soon. His mother said to tell her they loved her, and they would call her soon.

He called Nadir and asked if he could meet him for lunch. He wasn't ready to return to her until he talked about some work-related issues. His wish was for the ladies to have time to get things talked over before he returned. He knew she needed this mother-daughter time.

The New Year held the promise of a new and rewarding life if they could get over this time of their life. That was Erik's wish for the upcoming holiday season. It would be rough to get through, but they would. No one could make gains without pain and they had their share to work through. Maybe by Christmas it will have eased some, he thought.

----

Kristine had been released from the hospital. It was during her recovery that she consented to give the TV interview with Gil Andre. Mr. Andre had been working with the station's attorney to make sure he handled things properly and wouldn't jeopardize any of the ongoing investigation with any question he proposed to ask. Erik was right by her side the whole time for support. Many questions were answered about her ordeal, and she answered them with grace and dignity. She then referred to Erik, and he added his answers.

When the interview ended, it was submitted to the de Chagnys for their approval before the station aired it. They had no problems with the way Kristine or Erik answered the questions put to them. This chapter of everyone's lives had now been put to rest.

Thank you for reading, and if you are so inclined, please review.