Chapter Eight
The next morning was clear and bright, waves of light with golden crests softly ebbing against Satine and Christian's open window, sending in an unusual fall warmth to overflow the room. It was almost noon, and Satine was stretched out in the bed, propped up by pillows, and reading the completed portions of Christian's new story. Christian himself sat at the desk, lightly tapping out the next chapter on his typewriter. Even as she read though, a small lagging worry burrowed into her conscious thoughts. *I haven't had a bad attack in a while now… well, maybe I'm just getting better…* But in her heart she knew this wasn't true. She could feel her body slowly becoming more and more weak and tired, and the energy she had even a couple of months ago was far more than what she had now. It felt like it was an ever-growing effort to draw breath, but needless to say Satine hadn't mentioned this to Christian. *He's already concerned about me, and anything I say would just upset him more* she reasoned. Suddenly, just as she had feared, a burning pain clawed itself up her chest, bubbling acidic in her lungs. Her windpipe seemed to close up, the air pooling uselessly in her throat. She gasped for breath, wheezing and choking on her own blood that flowed out of her lips in steady trickles as she coughed. Christian immediately was at her side, one hand holding a handkerchief against her open mouth, the other wrapped in support around her waist. She could feel her consciousness drifting away, Christian's worried voice blurry in her mind, as she fell helplessly into an almost palpable darkness.
****
There were voices. Faint voices that tickled the outer edges of her now returning awareness. She recognized one as Christians, dripping heavily with fear and worry, but the other one, a darker, deeper voice, she could not remember hearing. Satine dragged her eyes open, uncomfortable with how much effort this one simple act desired, to painfully bright light. Above her she saw Christian's face, his features clouded with anxiety, and another person who, because of the stethoscope draped around his shoulders, she assumed to be a doctor. The image dissolved in and out of focus before finally sharpening. She blinked, trying to clear her blurry mind out of its sleep-induced drug. Christian looked down at Satine again, then sighed in relief and smiled when he found that she was up. "Oh Satine, I'm so glad you're awake." Satine sat up, staring at first Christian's, then the doctor's face.
"What happened?" she asked, finding that there was a mental block from the time she had started to cough until now. "I remember fainting, then…" she trailed off, uncertain.
"Well, you passed out, and I…called a doctor." Christian said, worry still prominent in his voice and eyes. "He said that you'll be all right if we get you the medications immediately." He added hopefully, reassuringly. Satine frowned.
"How much would all this cost?" she said, already knowing she wouldn't like the answer.
"About a thousand pounds." Said the doctor matter of factly. Satine inwardly winced, thinking that Christian's father would never give them that kind of money, and even if he did, it would most likely not be without a price. An uncomfortable silence smothered the air, each person not knowing what to say. "Well, I better be going." Announced the doctor finally, rising from the chair he was sitting on near the bed. Christian nodded, murmuring vague thank you's, as he politely opened the door and showed the doctor out. That completed, he returned back to Satine and perched anxiously on the side of her bed, the mattress sagging slightly from the added weight.
"Are you all right darling?" he asked quietly, taking her slender hand in his, squeezing the silken skin lightly, watching her expression. She nodded listlessly.
"I'm fine Christian. Really." She added more firmly. "But what are we going to do?" she asked, that hopeless, haunting look springing fiercely into her eyes, a look Christian knew well from the hardly far away days when she had to sleep with the duke. He frowned, wishing vaguely that their lives together would for once be uncomplicated. But instead he smiled in reassurance, attempting to make her feel better, to stop blaming herself.
"Well darling, tonight is Sunday, the night we're supposed to meet my parents. That is, if you're feeling well enough." He supplied in concern. Satine nodded, giving him her 'I'll be absolutely fine, don't worry' look that they seemed to have perfected and passed back and forth in the relatively short time they had known each other. "My parents will see how happy we are together, and give us the money." He finished, overly simplifying the matter. But Satine smiled back and leaned forward to kiss him tenderly on the lips, but not without passion. Christian tilted his head, about to deepen the kiss, when-
"Oh Christian! How long was I out? What time is it?" Satine yelled, watching the sunset outside of their window, the sun bleeding into the horizon, carpeting the sky with gold. Christian obligingly glanced at his watch, Satine's eyes widening.
"Seven fifteen." He reported with a laugh, watching Satine's expression swiftly magnify to that of extreme horror as she scuttled out of bed, throwing her pink robe onto the floor, and practically tearing open her closet door to pull out a dress, while muttering curses.
****
Satine decided to wear a royal blue dress with creamy white trim, which had dipping shoulder straps and a billowing bottom, with a glistening almost silver mink wrap. Ropes of pearls cascaded from her shoulders down to the soft curve of her waist, and her fiery hair was piled into a bun with a few stray tendrils hanging loose to frame her face. Christian stopped dead when he saw her, his mouth hanging open in awe.
"Do I look all right?" asked Satine anxiously, hurrying to close her matching white sequined clutch purse. Christian grinned, kissing her on the lips.
"I've never seen you look more beautiful." Satine adjusted the tie of his tuxedo teasingly, grinning mischievously.
"Same to you, my handsome poet." Christian offered her his arm with a mock bow, and Satine, giggling, took it. They walked down the stairs together and climbed into a shining coach that would bear them to Golden Water mansion.
**Author's Note** Ugh, SO MUCH GOING ON!! SO LITTLE TIME TO WRITE! I apologize for the wait, and for the suckiness. Yes, in my fan fictions time passes quickly, don't it? Sunday comes fast… lol And I also have no idea what a thousand pounds is…I just picked an amount that seemed like a lot. Lol I know, I'm lazy. What will happen when they get there? Could I ever kill off one of the characters? ~laughs maniacally~ stay tuned for another chapter of….AWAY FROM THE MOULIN ROUGE!!!
The next morning was clear and bright, waves of light with golden crests softly ebbing against Satine and Christian's open window, sending in an unusual fall warmth to overflow the room. It was almost noon, and Satine was stretched out in the bed, propped up by pillows, and reading the completed portions of Christian's new story. Christian himself sat at the desk, lightly tapping out the next chapter on his typewriter. Even as she read though, a small lagging worry burrowed into her conscious thoughts. *I haven't had a bad attack in a while now… well, maybe I'm just getting better…* But in her heart she knew this wasn't true. She could feel her body slowly becoming more and more weak and tired, and the energy she had even a couple of months ago was far more than what she had now. It felt like it was an ever-growing effort to draw breath, but needless to say Satine hadn't mentioned this to Christian. *He's already concerned about me, and anything I say would just upset him more* she reasoned. Suddenly, just as she had feared, a burning pain clawed itself up her chest, bubbling acidic in her lungs. Her windpipe seemed to close up, the air pooling uselessly in her throat. She gasped for breath, wheezing and choking on her own blood that flowed out of her lips in steady trickles as she coughed. Christian immediately was at her side, one hand holding a handkerchief against her open mouth, the other wrapped in support around her waist. She could feel her consciousness drifting away, Christian's worried voice blurry in her mind, as she fell helplessly into an almost palpable darkness.
****
There were voices. Faint voices that tickled the outer edges of her now returning awareness. She recognized one as Christians, dripping heavily with fear and worry, but the other one, a darker, deeper voice, she could not remember hearing. Satine dragged her eyes open, uncomfortable with how much effort this one simple act desired, to painfully bright light. Above her she saw Christian's face, his features clouded with anxiety, and another person who, because of the stethoscope draped around his shoulders, she assumed to be a doctor. The image dissolved in and out of focus before finally sharpening. She blinked, trying to clear her blurry mind out of its sleep-induced drug. Christian looked down at Satine again, then sighed in relief and smiled when he found that she was up. "Oh Satine, I'm so glad you're awake." Satine sat up, staring at first Christian's, then the doctor's face.
"What happened?" she asked, finding that there was a mental block from the time she had started to cough until now. "I remember fainting, then…" she trailed off, uncertain.
"Well, you passed out, and I…called a doctor." Christian said, worry still prominent in his voice and eyes. "He said that you'll be all right if we get you the medications immediately." He added hopefully, reassuringly. Satine frowned.
"How much would all this cost?" she said, already knowing she wouldn't like the answer.
"About a thousand pounds." Said the doctor matter of factly. Satine inwardly winced, thinking that Christian's father would never give them that kind of money, and even if he did, it would most likely not be without a price. An uncomfortable silence smothered the air, each person not knowing what to say. "Well, I better be going." Announced the doctor finally, rising from the chair he was sitting on near the bed. Christian nodded, murmuring vague thank you's, as he politely opened the door and showed the doctor out. That completed, he returned back to Satine and perched anxiously on the side of her bed, the mattress sagging slightly from the added weight.
"Are you all right darling?" he asked quietly, taking her slender hand in his, squeezing the silken skin lightly, watching her expression. She nodded listlessly.
"I'm fine Christian. Really." She added more firmly. "But what are we going to do?" she asked, that hopeless, haunting look springing fiercely into her eyes, a look Christian knew well from the hardly far away days when she had to sleep with the duke. He frowned, wishing vaguely that their lives together would for once be uncomplicated. But instead he smiled in reassurance, attempting to make her feel better, to stop blaming herself.
"Well darling, tonight is Sunday, the night we're supposed to meet my parents. That is, if you're feeling well enough." He supplied in concern. Satine nodded, giving him her 'I'll be absolutely fine, don't worry' look that they seemed to have perfected and passed back and forth in the relatively short time they had known each other. "My parents will see how happy we are together, and give us the money." He finished, overly simplifying the matter. But Satine smiled back and leaned forward to kiss him tenderly on the lips, but not without passion. Christian tilted his head, about to deepen the kiss, when-
"Oh Christian! How long was I out? What time is it?" Satine yelled, watching the sunset outside of their window, the sun bleeding into the horizon, carpeting the sky with gold. Christian obligingly glanced at his watch, Satine's eyes widening.
"Seven fifteen." He reported with a laugh, watching Satine's expression swiftly magnify to that of extreme horror as she scuttled out of bed, throwing her pink robe onto the floor, and practically tearing open her closet door to pull out a dress, while muttering curses.
****
Satine decided to wear a royal blue dress with creamy white trim, which had dipping shoulder straps and a billowing bottom, with a glistening almost silver mink wrap. Ropes of pearls cascaded from her shoulders down to the soft curve of her waist, and her fiery hair was piled into a bun with a few stray tendrils hanging loose to frame her face. Christian stopped dead when he saw her, his mouth hanging open in awe.
"Do I look all right?" asked Satine anxiously, hurrying to close her matching white sequined clutch purse. Christian grinned, kissing her on the lips.
"I've never seen you look more beautiful." Satine adjusted the tie of his tuxedo teasingly, grinning mischievously.
"Same to you, my handsome poet." Christian offered her his arm with a mock bow, and Satine, giggling, took it. They walked down the stairs together and climbed into a shining coach that would bear them to Golden Water mansion.
**Author's Note** Ugh, SO MUCH GOING ON!! SO LITTLE TIME TO WRITE! I apologize for the wait, and for the suckiness. Yes, in my fan fictions time passes quickly, don't it? Sunday comes fast… lol And I also have no idea what a thousand pounds is…I just picked an amount that seemed like a lot. Lol I know, I'm lazy. What will happen when they get there? Could I ever kill off one of the characters? ~laughs maniacally~ stay tuned for another chapter of….AWAY FROM THE MOULIN ROUGE!!!