Diana and Charlie returned a few hours after their departure with all of Christian and Diana's possessions. They placed all the luggage in a back room, out of sight for the moment.
"Has Christian gotten up yet?" Diana asked.
"No. He's been asleep since you left." Vicki replied simply.
"I'll get him. I can' t let him sleep the entire day." Diana responded as she headed towards the bedroom.
She quietly opened the door to the darkened room. Christian was still asleep; in what Diana thought was a most uncomfortable position. He was all twisted up. A pillow propped up his leg and he was at an angle that seemed to make his body cover the entire bed. She walked over to the bed and slowly sat down on the side of it. Diana gently stroked Christian's hair as she spoke to him to rouse him.
"Christian, wake up my love."
His eyes fluttered open at the sound of her voice. He tried to get up slightly to kiss her, but when he moved, a wave of pain flooded through that forced him back on his back.
"This is too much. I think death would have been easier." Christian moaned through the pain.
"Don't talk like that." Diana scolded as she helped him up. Christian was still very weak and very sore; he needed all the help from Diana he could get.
A little while later, after Christian and Diana had changed, the remaining four waited impatiently for Jack to return. Diana was becoming concerned; problems were not what she needed now.
By mid-afternoon, Diana was almost getting frantic but she had to hide it for Christian's sake. She sat on the couch in the living area with Christian lying across it, bundled in a blanket, slowly dozing off in her lap. Just as Diana could take the waiting no longer, Jack had returned. He casually sat across from her, noting her impending anger for taking so long.
"Well?" she said angrily, waking Christian.
"You leave for New York on the Cunard Line from Calais on Tuesday. You'll have to leave here by Monday afternoon at the latest because it's the last train before the ship leaves."
"That's two days from now. There was nothing else sooner?" Diana said as she held a groggy Christian, who was getting concerned with his wife's rising temper.
"I did my best Amethyst. Next time do your own escape method."
"There won't be a goddamn next time." She responded angrily.
"Diana!" Christian spoke up in a shocked manner, trying to get his wife's attention.
"Sorry Darling. I'm just frustrated."
"You know Amethyst…for a rich girl, you have a lot of the gutter in you." Jack remarked. "Where did you pick it up?"
"Several places. I've traveled all over the world."
"Name the main influences." He continued curiously.
"Well the first was London…Whitechapel to be exact. I wandered away from my 'keepers' into the absolute worst section. When you're surrounded by prostitutes, pimps and criminals, you pick up a few things."
"Whitechapel?! When?"
"Around the time Jack the Ripper was skunking around. I could have very well stared eye to eye with him."
Christian couldn't believe his ears at this. He couldn't believe that Diana was talking so haphazardly about this.
"And the second?" Charlie piped up.
"Brooklyn – in the immigrant ghettos. I lived in the wealthy part of Manhattan and at times I would forego the finery of satins and silk for more meager attire. I'd kick my accent back up and go slumming around the poorest immigrant neighborhoods."
"Why would you ever do that? You had everything." Vicki asked.
"I wanted to see how the other half lived."
With this small story, Diana shocked the entire room. She always kept her past hidden away. Only a select few truly knew who she really was, and most of them were dead. Even Christian was hearing this for the first time.
The rest of the day was predominantly uneventful. Diana helped Christian to get back on his feet, taking a few tentative steps. She had to make sure that he could at least walk slightly before they left. Charlie and Jack kept an ear out on the street, to warn Diana if anything seemed out of sorts. Vicki was left to assist either pair if needed.
Dinner was a particularly trying time. Everyone had been almost silent since Diana's explosion during the day. Diana was still too aggravated to eat much. She wanted to put everything that had happened behind her as soon as possible.
"I'm sorry Slick. I was wrong to blow up at you earlier when you did me a favor." She said to the man who sat across from her.
"I understand Amethyst. I probably would have done the same." Jack accepted.
A few hours later, when the others had gone to bed, Diana was only beginning to doze off when Christian got up in a hurry for the bathroom. When she heard him throwing up, she realized this was harder on him than she thought. Diana then went into the bathroom to check on her husband. She found Christian sitting on the cold floor in only his underwear, with his head resting on the toilet. She sat down next to him and gently rubbed his back to soothe him. When he felt he could trust his stomach enough, Christian turned around and fell against Diana, resting his head on her chest. He was bathed in sweat and shivering. Diana held him as close as she could to keep him warm, even on what was a warm summer night.
"Why does it have to be like this?" Christian asked quietly as he rested against his wife.
"I don't know but it's becoming too much." Diana replied softly.
The two of them sat there for a while as Diana comforted Christian until his stomach settled. After some time, when Christian felt confident enough that he wasn't going to be sick again, he let Diana bring him back to bed.
Diana was very concerned for Christian. Her heart broke as she helped him. He was tired, hurt and now sick. She helped Christian settle into the bed before she climbed in next to him. Diana propped a few pillows up behind her so she could attain some sort of comfort. She then opened her arms to allow Christian to snuggle up against her.
Vicki was rummaging through the pantry, trying to find something edible, when she heard soft singing coming from the other room. A faint light, almost no brighter than a candle, was coming from the slightly open door to the bedroom. Vicki needed to find out what was going on.
She walked silently through the corridors and leaned against the doorframe watching Diana. She was holding Christian in her arms, gently rocking him as she softly sang to her sleeping husband.
"That's beautiful. What's it called?" Vicki whispered.
Diana seemed startled at first; not thinking anyone had heard her. "Thank you. It's called 'Only Time.'"
"Why were you singing to him?"
"He likes it. Whenever he doesn't feel well or has trouble sleeping, I sing to him to help him relax. With this one, he usually falls asleep." Diana replied as she gazed lovingly at Christian in her arms.
"What about you Diana? You look exhausted." Vicki said, obviously concerned.
"I think that is the first time you have ever called me by name." Diana remarked.
"Seriously…"
"Seriously, I go to sleep once I know Christian is alright. It has always been like that. Very rarely do I fall asleep before him." Dian said as she stroked Christian's hair.
"I was just concerned."
"I know and I thank you. I really do appreciate all that you've done for us."
"Welcome. Now I'll let you be. Good night." Vicki responded as she left and shut the door behind her.
Eventually, Diana also fell asleep.
