Chapter 55
Oh wow, long time, no see… I am so sorry. For those of you who care to know, I landed the role of Fiona in Shrek the Musical, so I have been swamped (pun very much intended). I didn't realize just how long it had been until now, but the show is over, and here's to a new chapter and to some free time to write. Enjoy! Keep reading! – E. B.
Christine woke the next morning feeling refreshed and much better than the day before. She skipped down the stairs and headed to the kitchen but stopped on the other side of the wall as she heard Erik and Gustave mumbling at the table.
"Marriage is hard, Gustave, but you can't run away every time you have a fight," she heard Erik say.
"I know that. We just fight so much. I miss being here where everything was simple."
"Well, are you happy about this?"
"I would be ecstatic," her son answered, "that is if Lotte hadn't yelled at me for two hours about it."
"She's just worried. Give her time."
"I just hope she hasn't done anything drastic while I've been away. I should really be getting back to her."
"Be smart," Erik said gently. "Just try to calm her down, and everything will be alright. Maybe Christine could help her."
She heard Gustave's chair scoot away. "Maybe later, but I don't want to tell mother just yet, not until I'm sure everything's okay."
"I understand. It's your decision."
Christine huffed in frustration and hid behind Erik's chair so Gustave wouldn't see her as he walked out. When he was gone, she waited a couple of moments before walking into the kitchen and kissing Erik's cheek. "Good morning," she said sweetly.
"Good morning," he replied. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better thanks to you," she said happily. "You fixed breakfast too? Aren't you thoughtful?"
He smiled and motioned towards the stove. "Help yourself. I fixed enough for you and Angeletta. I'm surprised she's still asleep even if it is Saturday."
"Well, let's just hope she's not sick now," Christine said as she sat down with a plate. "I saw Gustave walk out the door. What was he here for?"
"Just a short visit," Erik replied casually. "He was on his way to the city. He thought he would stop by."
She nodded and accepted that as the answer even though she knew it wasn't true. "You should have woken me up."
"I normally would have, but I didn't know how you would be feeling this morning."
"Excuses, excuses," she said teasingly as she sipped her coffee. "So what's on the agenda today?"
"Take care of three fussy children," Erik mumbled.
"DADDY!" he heard Angeletta call.
"Make that four," he sighed as Christine chuckled. "Well, duty calls."
She smirked as he walked off towards Angeletta's room. Noticing the paper on the table, she leaned over to look at the headlines. "'Lincoln Memorial Dedicated'," she read aloud. "Suppose that's important news," she mumbled to herself as she picked up the paper.
"Christine!" she heard Erik yell. "Christine, come quick!"
She dropped the paper and ran to Angeletta's room. She looked around for a moment only to realize they weren't there. Hearing crying from her bathroom, Christine headed in that direction. She gasped as she saw the sight in front of her. Blood was everywhere.
"What on earth?" was all she could manage to stumble out as Erik tried his best to wrap Angeletta in a bath towel. Christine caught a glimpse of the wound. Flesh was missing, and she could see a portion of Angeletta's spine.
"That damn towel hook got hung in her deformed skin while she was climbing out of the tub," Erik huffed angrily. "Took a chunk of it out. Call a doctor, quickly!"
She nodded and rushed to the phone. Frantically, she explained the situation as she watched down the hall. Erik carried her in a bundle of towels to her room. Blood stained his white shirt and pale hands as she heard her child wail, causing three more upstairs to do the same.
"The doctor said to lay her on her stomach and press hard to keep the bleeding down!" she called to Erik. "I'll be right back. I have to get the babies calmed down."
No sooner than she had gotten them pacified, the doorbell rang. She darted downstairs and ushered the doctor urgently into Angeletta's room. Tears pricked her eyes as she looked at her daughter. Her skin had grown sickly pale, and sweat poured down Erik's face as he pressed down in attempt to stop the bleeding. The doctor managed to pry Erik away from his daughter. Christine grabbed his shoulders and held him back so the doctor could do his work. He asked questions to which Erik answered swiftly and efficiently.
Christine sobbed loudly causing Erik to quickly press her face in his chest so she couldn't see. Those few minutes seemed like hours, and when the doctor finally pulled away, Angeletta was the color of death. In fact, Erik was certain they had lost her. A sob racked his body, and he embraced Christine tightly.
The doctor turned around and wiped the sweat from his brow. "She lost a whole lot of blood," he said wringing his hands. "She's still alive, but I… I just don't know, Mr. Destler." Erik squeezed his eyes shut and sobbed. "I'm so incredibly sorry, but if she inherited your strength, I think she'll pull through."
Erik dared to look up. He saw his girl. A long, bloody bandage ran down diagonally across her back. Her black hair was soaked with blood in patches, and her eyes were sunken in and tear-stained. Another sob hit his chest. "What do I owe you?" he managed to whisper.
The doctor waved his hand. "Don't worry about it." He reached his hand in her bag and pulled out a medicine and a thick roll of white gauze. "Change her bandage hourly, and if… when… she wakes up. Make sure she takes these every four hours. It will help with the pain."
"Thank you," Erik muttered gratefully as he gripped the supplies in his palm. Christine pulled away from him and sat on the edge of Angeletta's bed, just watching her.
"I'll be praying for you, Mr. Destler," the doctor said gently before stepping out the door.
Erik turned back to their girl and shook his head. "This is all my fault."
