This chapter was begging to be written, so here it is! Enjoy the depression!
Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables, but I've been told more than once that I make it live up to its name :P
It had been more than a month since Marius had last seen Eponine Thenardier. 45 days, to be exact. It had gotten colder outside. He had searched for her several times, but to no avail. It seemed that she had disappeared off the face of the earth. He'd asked almost everyone in Paris if they'd seen her, but no one had. Marius had been worried that her father had found her and had either locked her up, or had done something to her, but then he'd heard from Gavroche that none of the other Thenardiers had seen or heard from her. Marius didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he could just go to the police and file a missing persons report. Eponine was a streetrat. The police didn't care about streetrats. He didn't know where else to look. He wasn't nearly as familiar with the streets of Paris as Eponine was. No one was... except...
"Gavroche!" Marius called out as he crossed the street to where the young boy stood. Gavroche turned.
"'Elle there, Marius." Gavroche greeted him. "What can I do for ya?"
"I was wondering if you could help me look for Eponine." he replied.
"I don' think ya need to worry 'bout 'er. 'Ponine knows 'er way 'round Paris. She's probably jus' hidin' from our father."
"I still want to find her," Marius said, "it's getting colder outside and I'm worried about her. Last time I saw her, she was injured... Well what if something happened to her? What if she's lying somewhere, injured?"
"You worry a lot." Gavroche commented. "But I'll 'elp ya find 'er."
Marius and Gavroche spent all day searching for Eponine and now, night had fallen.
"Let's give it a break, Marius." Gavroche said, "We can try again tomorrow." Marius sighed and nodded. Gavroche smiled at him before running off. Marius decided to keep looking for just a little bit longer. He walked through the dark and unfamiliar streets in the part of Paris known as Pantin.
"Eponine?" Marius called out, getting desperate now. "Eponine, are you out here?" Receiving no reply, he decided to head back to his flat. But then, he heard a cough. "Eponine?" he called again. Another cough, followed by a raspy voice that said,
"Monsieur M-Marius?"
Marius looked around and caught sight of a dark alleyway. He headed towards it, for that's where Eponine's voice seemed to have come from. In the darkness, he saw a pair of eyes that watched him and that came from a figure laying on the ground. As he walked closer, he could distinctly make out the figure's features. It was indeed Eponine, though, Marius noticed as he knelt down next to her, her face was thin and gaunt. She was skinnier than he'd ever seen her and she almost looked completely skeletal. Even in the darkness, Marius could see that she was very pale. Her lips were dry and cracked and her forehead was beaded with an icy sweat. Marius gently pressed a hand to her forehead and found that her temperature was dangerously high. He also noticed that every so often she would wince, as if she were in pain.
"'Ponine..." he whispered. She smiled slightly. Marius could see that even such a small feat as smiling seemed to take immense effort. "What happened?" he breathed.
"Got sick." she replied in that same raspy voice, which led Marius to believe that she was dehydrated. Marius gently lifted her from the ground, finding that she weighed almost nothing. She'd always been thin, but this... this was different. Now she was pretty much skin and bones. The illness and the lack of the ability to get food had left her like this, with nothing left to fight with. Though, he did notice, her stomach didn't seem to be as thin as the rest of her, but was still thinner than it should have been. Eponine rested her head against his shoulder, unable to support it herself.
"I'm taking you to the hospital." he told her. Eponine made no objections. Marius carried her to the hospital, walking as quickly as he could. He would have run, but he didn't want to risk tripping and possibly dropping her. Occasionally, he would glance down at her, as if to make sure that she was still there. It was hard for him to see her like this, so pale, so thin, so sick. It scared him.
As he carried her into the hospital, a doctor saw them and immediately showed him into a room. Marius placed Eponine down on the hospital bed. In the lamp light, he could now see that her skin almost looked grey and that her collarbone jutted out quite visibly. The poor girl really did have nothing left to fight this illness with, for that's what an illness does; it weakens you, makes you defenseless. The doctor examined her. He listened to her heartbeat, then listened to her breathing. He took some blood samples, which normally Eponine would not have liked, but she didn't seem to be very aware of it. The doctor, his examination complete, looked at them gravely. Marius knew that, whatever it was, it was bad.
"Have you experienced any sharp or stabbing chest pains?" he asked her.
"Yes." she croaked.
"Have you coughed up any blood?"
"Yes." she replied. The doctor frowned.
"It might be pneumonia." he said. Marius' eyes widened. "But that's being optimistic. It could also be tuberculosis."
"No..." Marius whispered.
"I'm afraid so." the doctor continued. "However, it's hard to be sure. The hemoptysis (1) is peculiar to tuberculosis, but the sharp chest pains are peculiar to pneumonia. She is very malnourished, so that could be how she contracted tuberculosis, but pneumonia is spreading around at this time of year. If it's pneumonia, then we can treat it. If it's tuberculosis... there really isn't much we can do."
"How... how can we be certain?" Marius asked.
"Well," said the doctor, "we could start her on the medication for pneumonia and see if it works. If it's pneumonia, she'll most likely get better, if not..."
"Then I'll die." Eponine said bluntly.
"We have to try then." Marius told the doctor.
"I should tell you, the medication isn't cheap. It costs 40 francs."
"40 francs..." Eponine breathed. Then she started to cough, horrible, choked coughs.
"I'll get the money." Marius said.
"I... I'm not worth it..." she whispered.
"Yes you are," Marius disagreed, "you're my best friend, 'Ponine. I need you to live."
"I'll get the first dose ready." the doctor said.
"I'll go get the money." Marius replied. Then, looking at Eponine again, he added, "I'll be back soon."
Marius ran out of the hospital and down the streets of Paris. He didn't stop running until he reached No. 6 Rue des Filles du Calvaire. He quickly knocked on the door. Basque, the valet, opened the door.
"Ah, Monsieur Pontmercy, you have returned home." he greeted him, standing aside so that he could enter.
"Not quite." Marius replied as he stepped inside. "Is grandfather awake?"
"He is in his sitting room."
"Then I will go see him." Marius walked to the sitting room and found Monsieur Gillenormand there, reading a book. Upon his entering the room, Monsieur Gillenormand looked up at Marius and smiled.
"Ah, my boy, you've returned!"
"I haven't." the old man's smile disappeared.
"So you're in need of money, then." Gillenormand stated. It wasn't a question. Marius nodded. "What for?"
"For my studies."
"That's a lie. What do you really need the money for?" Marius sighed.
"My best friend is dying. I need money for the medication."
"What's her dowry?"
"None." Marius replied.
"None! Then why is she worth saving!?"
"Because she is my best friend! I don't know what I'd do without her, father! She means so much to me..." he sounded broken.
"Ah, you have called me father!" the old man said delightedly. "What is her name, this 'friend'?"
"Eponine."
"What does she mean to you?"
"Everything." Marius told him. Gillenormand smiled and then, out of his pocket, pulled out 3 gold Napoleons (2).
"Is three Louis d'Or (3) enough?"
"I only need two."
"Then keep the third for yourself." Gillenormand said as he stood and walked over to Marius. He handed him the money.
"Thank you, father!" Marius exclaimed. He hugged the old man, who was still smiling.
After saying a quick goodbye, Marius ran back to the hospital and into the room where Eponine was. He handed the doctor two of the gold Napoleons and kept the third in his pocket.
"It would be best for her to stay in the hospital for now." the doctor said. Marius looked at Eponine, who was on the verge of falling asleep. "You can stay with her, if you'd like." he added. Marius smiled slightly and sat in the chair next to her hospital bed. He hoped that the medication would work, that it was only pneumonia and not tuberculosis. The doctor walked over to the door, but before leaving the room, he paused. "There's one more thing." Eponine looked at him.
"Yes?" she asked.
"You're pregnant."
Aaaand there ya have it! Please review!
(1) Hemoptysis is the medical term for coughing up blood
(2) A Napoleon is a 20 franc piece
(3) Louis d'Or is the old name for the Napoleon, though Royalists, such as Gillenormand, preferred to call them Louis d'Or as they were named after the king, Louis. Bonapartists (or as a Royalist would say, Buonapartists) preferred to call them Napoleons.