Christine's POV
"Play me another song," I begged.
Erik chuckled. "Christine, your Erik's fingers are tired."
I had been too ill to get out of bed that morning, but my Erik, being the wonderful man that he was played me a few songs on his violin. Song after song, I begged him for more, and my angel did just that, lifting the instrument to his chin and playing away. It was nearly the afternoon now, and my Erik was growing weary of playing.
"Lana sent me my pay today, Christine," Erik replied. "Her friend has begged her for more of my music. I believe I should probably work on that instead of sitting here playing away for you."
I rubbed my growing tummy and sighed. "If you must."
Erik nodded. "I must, Christine. Money will not find its way here without music. I promise to make you some lunch in a little bit though, angel. You would like that, wouldn't you?"
I nodded and snuggled back down into the blankets. The fall weather was most certainly here, soon to be followed by winter. With every day that past, my child grew. My child was still a few months away from being born, but already, I was as big as a house. Most mornings, I woke and found myself too ill to budge from bed. This made Erik a bit uneasy, but I promised him day after day that I was all right.
"If Christine would like, she and her husband could take a walk later on, before it gets dark."
"I would enjoy that very much, Erik."
My marriage has gotten a lot better since we moved into the house, but there were times when Erik would go into a fit of rage. Though, that was to be expected from someone such as himself. But things were most certainly better than they were.
"Erik, do you think you and I will ever go back to New York?" I asked, glancing his way. My Erik was placing his violin back into his case, when he stopped and looked my way. I knew this must have angered him, for he shot to his feet and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Christine, please don't ask your Erik such a thing. You know that we cannot return to the old life that we have lived. For the rest of our lives, it is going to be just this house and our solitude. But, like promised, I will invite Lana to stay for a while once the baby is born."
"I guess I miss having company is all…"
"You have me…" he stated. "Isn't that enough?"
"Of course, Erik, but sometimes, I do like the company of others. Don't you miss it?"
"Christine, I have you and that's all I need. Then again, we have Nadir around to keep us company…if one could call it that. The man is always showing up when company is not required. He's always been like that. Now, you must excuse me, love…I have work to do. You rest, and like promised, lunch will be arriving shortly."
My Erik took hold of his violin case and left the room, leaving me alone with just the window for entertainment. Yes, I loved living in our comfy home, but sometimes, I wished for company. I wanted friends and other women to talk to. Erik had lived his entire life in solitude, therefore cutting off the remainder of the world and its company. I had grown up with Meg and the other ballerinas, making solitude a tough thing to get used to. But soon, I would have a baby to care for. My baby…the words just brought a smile to my face. I always wanted a child of my own, and soon, I would have one.
"Someday," I said, rubbing my stomach. "You and I will have lots of fun. We'll play in the back yard and bake cupcakes together. Then, when you're old enough, your father will teach you how to play music. Then again, you will probably be born with a natural talent."
In my mind, I imagined a beautiful child, one that looked like both Erik and I. Perhaps our child would be born with my nose, but with Erik's mismatched blue eyes. Yes, that would be perfect. If there was one thing I loved about Erik, it was his eyes. I had never seen orbs like his before. One was an icy blue color, but the other was cloudy, yet still beautiful. I never told Erik this, for I was afraid about what he would think. It was hard enough to keep him from leaving his mask alone. Oh, how I would love to burn the garment, but knew that he would never allow me to do so. That mask was his security blanket, one that would always be around. Whenever he was frightened, he clung to the mask and placed it over his malformed face. Sometimes, I believed that he thought I would become frightened by his appearance one day. I was just glad that my Erik finally started allowing us to make love with the lights on. It took so long, but my husband finally came to his senses.
I was not disgusted by him, and until the day I died, I would never be disgusted again. I was suddenly caught off guard, when I felt a strike of pain from within my stomach. I stopped thinking about Erik and placed my hand at my stomach, wondering why I was feeling pain. I thought that I was cracking up…until the pain occurred again.
"Ouch…" this time, the pain was so strong, that I clasped the blankets to cut off the scream that wanted to escape my lips. Yes, I had gotten used to my child kicking, but this wasn't like any kick I had ever felt before.
"Erik!"
Finally, I called for my husband. Something was wrong, something wasn't right…
"Erik!" I called him again, this time a little louder. But when the next bought of agony occurred once more, I felt something sticky around my legs, only to glance down and see blood pooling around my thighs…No, this couldn't be happening! Not now, and not again…
Erik's POV
My music was a success…That's what Lana had told me. Her friend was so happy with what I had sent him, that he had requested more, promising a higher pay next time. For the first part of the morning, I had been playing the violin for Christine. My poor wife had become ill, so ill that she begged me for music. Oh, to think that my angel begged me. If there was one thing I loved, it was when she begged me for anything. No one had ever begged me before, and when Christine did it, I became weak. Though, I had only been working on my music a few moments, when I heard her calling my name from the downstairs bedroom. I had promised the woman lunch, but that wasn't for another hour or so. Deciding to see what she wanted, I put aside my music and hurried downstairs.
"Christine, lunch isn't until the next hour." I said, approaching the closed door. "I told you that I had work to do."
Agitated, I pushed open the door, ready to scold her for disturbing me, when I noticed the puddle of fresh blood soaking into the sheets of our bed. My heart stopped within my chest the moment I saw her laying there full of blood. The worst popped into my mind, that worst being that she lost the baby…No! If she lost this child, I would never be able to forgive myself. She was nearly seven months along! Seven full months, with only a few left to go. The baby had cooperated with her for so long. Without another word, I hurried to her side and began to sop up the blood. I knew what I had to do, I had to get a doctor. Without one, Christine would be in danger.
"I need to leave you," I cried. "But I promise to be back as soon as possible."
My Christine didn't want me to leave, but I assured her that everything would be all right. Quickly, I hurried out the door and to the stable where my horse was waiting. I hopped up onto his back and hurried off into the forest, headed towards town. There weren't many times when I had gone into town, but this was a matter of life or death. My angel needed help, and I wouldn't stop at nothing until she got just that. It was twenty minutes to town, twenty hole minutes! If there was anything that frightened me, it was the thought of returning home to find my wife dead from the amount of blood she had lost. Just the mere thought of it sent shivers down my spine. When I arrived in town, the first place I stopped at was Nadir's apartment. I hopped off of my horse and pounded against his door.
"Nadir! Nadir, open up, man!"
Within a matter of moments, the door to Nadir's apartment swung open and the both of us came face to face.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise." He replied. "You never come knocking upon this door. Usually, it is the other way around."
"This is no time for jokes!" I grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled him close. "Christine is bleeding…I need a doctor, Nadir."
Nadir's smile instantly faded and he hurried out the door beside me.
"Go back to her, Erik!" Nadir warned. "I'll get us a doctor and be at your house as soon as possible."
Obeying Nadir's commands, I hopped back onto my horse and hurried home. I didn't even care about placing my horse back in his stable once I was inside of our yard. No, instead, I jumped off of his back and hobbled inside.
"Christine," I called her name as I ran down the hall, praying that she was all right. I pushed in the door and ran to her bedside. She was still sweating and fresh blood was still pouring out of every inch of her body.
"Christine," I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
"Erik…I'm in so much pain."
"Nadir is coming with a doctor." I assured. "Just hold on…"
"What about the baby…" she cried. "I want the baby."
"And you will have it, Christine." I promised. "Everything is going to be all right."
Before I could say another word, the door was pushed open again, with Nadir and another man entering. He took one look at my angel and his face began turning into one filled with false hope. I knew that this child was most likely dead…there was no other way.
"Monsieur, I believe it would be best to step outside." He said.
"But my wife, she's in pain!" I exclaimed. "I need to be with her. I refuse to leave…"
"Please, leave…"
Nadir had to drag me out of the room, for I refused to leave. Even when the door was closed again, I paced around in a constant circle, never wanting to be parted from my beloved wife.
"Nadir, I need to be in there," I growled. "My wife is in there and I need to be with her…Oh, Nadir, this is all my fault…I shouldn't have given her a child! I should have refused her wants and needs."
"Man, calm down." Nadir assured, pressing me into the couch. "Your wife will be all right."
"And what if she loses this baby, Nadir? What then? I would never forgive myself, I would never forgive her."
"And why would you not forgive Christine?"
"Because she wanted this! She wanted everything, Nadir…And yet, I have caused her nothing but pain. I am not a man, I am a demon and demons are not meant to mate. Anything given to the world by a demon is nothing good. And yet, Christine has begged for everything."
"And is it a crime to want everything, Erik?" Nadir questioned. "Man, you have a beautiful wife and soon you will be a father."
I ran my fingers through my hair, knowing that in truth, I would never be a father. I never had a father of my own, so how was I to be everything a child needed? I wouldn't…I knew once this child was born that I would be nothing more than a donor. I have done nothing but donate my seed to Christine, and in return, I had caused her pain. Pain! I had caused my wife pain! Before I could say another word to Nadir, the door popped open and the doctor stood there, looking down upon Nadir and I.
"Monsieur, your wife is going into premature labor…"
"What?" I gasped shooting to my feet. "And what of the child? She's nearly six weeks early, monsieur…"
"Perhaps, but I have examined her, and her water has broken."
My hands shook as I approached the man. No, Christine couldn't be having this child now. Oh, this was all my fault…I should have never given her a child.
"And is the child alive?" I gulped.
"I'm not sure…It could be already dead, but it needs to be delivered now before she bleeds to death."
"No," I gasped. "Don't do this…Save my wife! Do you hear me, save my wife!"
"I am going to try to do just that, monsieur, but either way, this child is coming."
I looked at Nadir, wondering what to do. I didn't want my wife to die…If God was going to take anyone tonight, it should be the child and not her. Without another word, I hurried into the room accompanied by the doctor and rushed to my angel's bedside. Oh, she was weak, oh, so weak and pale. I squeezed her hand tightly as the doctor took his position at the end of the bed.
"Erik…" my angel weakly gasped. "The baby…"
"Hold on, Christine," I pleaded. "Everything is going to be all right."
"The baby…"
I knew my wife was in pain…I knew she was on death's door as well. She couldn't die, she just couldn't!
"Save my wife!" I ordered. "Don't let her die…"
"I need to deliver the child, monsieur. Your wife is losing blood quickly."
"Get this damn thing out of her body this instant!"
Already, I hated this child. How could it dare bring my angel such pain! Only the devil himself could do such a thing, and that it was. I had created this demon and set it loose on my angel's body. Oh, damn me for doing such a thing…
"Push, Christine," the doctor ordered.
I held my angel's hand as she weakly forced herself to push. She was so weak, so tired and so weak…How was she to ever deliver this baby without dying in the middle of it?
"Push, Christine," the doctor ordered once more. "Push…"
"For me, Christine." I cooed into her ear. "Push, ange…"
Once more, my angel pushed, failing to continue after a few seconds of doing just that.
"I can see the head…" the doctor replied. "Push, Christine, you're almost there…"
Once more, my angel pushed, long and hard this time…
"That's it…" he replied. "You're doing great, almost there…"
But suddenly, my angel's hand went limp and her breathing became shallow. I stood up and held her body close to my own, calling her name and lightly slapping her cheek.
"Erik,…" My angel wheezed. "I…I can't breathe…"
"Help her, damn it! Help her!"
The doctor was too busy fidgeting with whatever had emerged from my angel's body.
"The child isn't breathing, monsieur." The doctor worriedly replied.
"Help my wife!"
"No," came Christine's breathless voice. "The baby…"
My angel had tears in her eyes. Why? Why did Christine want this child to live? Why did she find it more important than herself?!
"Damn you, man!" I grabbed the doctor by his shirt and pulled him towards my angel's body. "Help my wife! She can't breathe…"
"But, monsieur, the baby…"
"My wife!"
I had been so preoccupied with yelling at the doctor, that I didn't even hear the sudden cries that emerged from a blanket that was on the other end of the room. The sound was odd, for I had never heard something like this before. The cries of a child were foreign to me…But, as foreign as it was, it still made me extremely curious. After taking one final glance at my wife, I began to tiptoe very quietly over to the rubble of blankets. In my mind, I prayed that this child would be perfect, that it would be perfect for my wife. But, if my wife were going to die, I wish it would die along with her. The child was early, nearly six weeks to be exact. Surely something that early couldn't possibly live…I had been early, but not as early as this child was. When my feet were right at the rubble of blankets, I bent down and stretched out my shaking hand, moving it towards the blankets. Oh, I couldn't bear to look at it…But in my mind, I knew that my curiosity wouldn't settle until I laid eyes on the very being I had created.
Slowly, I wrapped my fingers around the blanket and pulled it away from the child, closing my eyes until I knew the blankets were uncovered from the baby. But would this thing really be a baby? Or would it be a demon? It was now or never…My eyes opened, and then, I stared down at the very being I had created, and what I saw amazed me. There, lying in the pile of bloodied blankets was a child, no larger than a loaf of bread, a child with pink flesh and tiny toes…A boy…Christine had given birth to a son! At last, my eyes met with his face and from that, my heart stopped within my chest, for the child had inherited my destroyed cheek. His eyes and lips might have been Christine's, but this boy had the same twisted cheek as I had…And from that moment on, I knew that life would simply never be the same again…
Poor poor, Erik...Please review!
