The knock at the door startled Christian and the near empty bottle fell from his lap. He looked around for the source of the noise, forcing his eyes to focus. Toulouse was sleeping, no one else was in the room with him. He noticed the large number of bottles by his chair and dimly wondered how much he'd had to drink.

His attempts to count the bottles were hindered by his blurry vision and he had just reached three when the knock sounded again. This time he recognised the sound for what it was and lurched towards the door to answer it.

He stared for a long time at the person who was there, his mouth open in shock, his eyes taking in every detail. It wasn't until his visitor moved forwards that he realised that it wasn't his imagination. He took several steps back, shying away from the hand that reached out for him.

He tried to take another step away but his foot landed on a bottle instead of on the floor and he fell backwards with a small cry.

The dull thud as his head caught the table wasn't loud, there was no echo, no magnificent crash, but the effect was still devastating.
* * *

Toulouse woke with a jump. He shook his head to clear it, trying to find what had disturbed him. He looked over to ask Christian if he knew and choked back a cry at what he saw.

Christian was lying on the floor, the table on it's side behind him. A figure in a pale blue dress was leaning over him. Long red hair was hiding her face, but Toulouse knew who it was.

he gasped, shock weakening his voice. Her head turned and his brown eyes locked on hers.

Toulouse, please help me. He caught his head on the table and I think he's unconscious.

There was a crash from the Bohemian's flat upstairs and Satie's face appeared at the edge of the hole.
What's going on? he called. God! Satine!

Satie, pwease get the doctor. Chwistian hit his head. yelled Toulouse.
Satie's face disappeared, his obvious shock at seeing Satine replaced by his concern for Christian.

The doctor lived two floors down so it didn't take him long to get to the garret. Christian was starting to come round when the doctor hurried in closely followed by Satie. After a brief rummage through his bag the doctor produced a small vial of smelling salts and Christian was awake in another minute.

He gasped a few times and struggled to sit up but the doctor stopped him.
You should lie still Monsieur.

Christian sank back to the floor and Satine moved his head in to her lap.

Toulouse pulled the heavy curtains closed to stop the light from giving Christian a headache while the doctor wrote out a quick list of signs to keep an eye out for. He gave the list to Satie, the only one whose hands weren't full and had turned to leave when Christian sat up.

Monsieur please, be careful.
But Christian struggled to his feet and looked around him with confused and slightly panicked eyes.

Satine's voice was gentle and soothing, although slightly confused. What's wrong? she asked.

How do you know my name? Christian asked finally. Who are you people?
* * *

What's wrong with him doctor? whispered Satie. Christian had become more and more panicked until the doctor decided it was safer to sedate him. The doctor looked over at Satine.

Mademoiselle, you say he caught his head on the table when he fell?

She only nodded, her attention fixed on the figure of her lover, eye's bright with tears she barely stopped from falling.
It is possible the blow has caused a condition known as amnesia. Memory loss.

He's wost awl his memory?

Not necessarily all. It may only be partial and it may only last a few days. It's impossible to tell.
Satine looked over at him.

He will remember though, won't he?

The doctor's face creased in a frown.
I... cannot say for certain.

Now her tears did start to fall and her head dropped in to her hands.
I shouldn't have waited so long. I knew I should have risked it. Why didn't I make Harold tell him I was alive?

She continued sobbing brokenly, unaware of the attempts Toulouse and Satie were making to calm her down.

The doctor quietly left, muttering unheard promises to return the following morning to check Christian's progress. Satie left a few hours later to tell Christian's friends what had happened, and, at Toulouse's suggestion, to check the Duke and his man servant really had left Paris.

Toulouse and Satine stayed with Christian and prayed he would remember them when he woke up.
* * *