Christian had ended up pacing the lobby while waiting to hear news of
Satine. His mother was arguing with the nurse about an episode of "All My
Children" that was playing on the screens around the lobby. Christian was
trying very hard to just keep his head clear. Terrible thoughts kept
trying to play across his mind, but he wouldn't let them. He wasn't going
to turn his life into a soap opera.
"No way," the nurse said, "There's no way. She's not having Donovan's baby, she's having Gregory's."
"I'm telling you, Gregory can't be the father because he's impotent," argued Christian's mother.
"But they do that all the time. They make you think one thing . . ." the phone rang. "Just one second. Hello? . . . . Oh . . . I'll tell them . . . . Right." The nurse hung up the phone and turned to Christian's mother. "Your daughter-in-law just came out of surgery, Julia," she said, "You and your son can go see her, if you want. She's in Recovery 303, first door on your left after you get off the elevator."
Julia thanked the nurse, then went to Christian. "Darling," she said, "Adrienne's out of surgery."
Christian blanched. She was out. What would she look like?
"Are you all right? You just lost all the color in your face. Are you sure you can see her? We can come back later . . ."
Christian just started walking toward the elevators, following the signs that said "Recovery."
He found her room easy enough, pushed the door open, and walked inside.
The curtains had been drawn and all the lights were turned out. The only light in the room was coming through the open doorway. Satine lay on the bed with the sheets pulled up to her underarms, her arms lying above the sheets. She seemed to be asleep. A doctor stood by her bed.
"I'm Dr. White. I'll be keeping track of Adrienne's recovery," he said, shaking hands with Christian. Christian walked over to Satine.
"So that means she will recover, right?"
"Well," the doctor said, "She will recover, but there may be slight . . . continuing damage."
"What kind of damage?"
"Memory loss. Mild memory loss, basically a form of amnesia."
"Amnesia? But people only get that in movies."
"Not exactly. There have been recorded cases of acute amnesia, which is what you see in, ahem, soap operas and such. But mostly, there is only the kind that Miss Adrienne may have. It's still just a possibility."
Christian was worried about having his darling open her eyes and not know him. That all their love was for nothing. Dr. White cleared his throat again. "There's not much to see tonight. I suggest the two of you go home, and we'll call you if there are any changes."
Christian didn't move. He didn't want her to wake up without him there. He told his mother to go home, then made himself a makeshift bed in the chair in the corner. He'd stay all night.
He was awoken by a soft cry. Like a child waking from a nap. He opened his eyes and looked over to Satine and saw her turning to look at him.
"Darling," he said, rushing to her side, "How do you feel?"
She looked confused for a moment, then said, "I'm fine. Where am I?"
"You're in recovery."
"I know I'm in recovery, I'm talking about where I am in the hospital."
Christian laughed at some of the old humor. "No, darling, you're in the recovery wing of the hospital. You've just had surgery."
"Oh." She smiled at him, putting a hand on his cheek. "I missed you while I was asleep," she said.
Christian sighed mentally in relief. She remembered.
"I love you. I can't remember anything else, but I know I love you, Christian."
He tightened. She couldn't remember anything but him. Maybe it'd be easier this way . . .
"Well, you know you're name is Adrienne, right?"
"Adrienne . . . I seem to remember something else . . ."
"You grew up in New York with your dad, Harold, who ran a club you sang at sometimes."
"And I slept with men for money . . ."
"No," Christian said firmly. He had his chance to give her a new life. He wasn't going to give her back the old one, the one she had wanted to escape from. "No, you didn't. You were an actress. You starred in huge hits at the Club Rouge."
"Yes," she said, accepting, "I remember now. I remember an apartment, with an elephant . . . for a balcony . . ."
"Yeah, that's right."
They continued in this vein for a while, until Satine knew her past, remembered herself and told to her by Christian. She hadn't really lost her memory, she was just coming out of a period of delirium, so she only remembered those things clearest to her *(I know, it sucks, but just ignore that part if you have to)*, like Christian and her love for him. Now she remembered it all.
It was a few days before she could leave the hospital, and very carefully at that. The doctors instructed her that any jolts of any kind could break the mends they had started until a bit later. She agreed to be very careful, and she and Christian left the hospital together driven by Christian's father, Robert.
Christian was too absorbed in holding and being with Satine that he didn't notice they were going someplace completely different from his old home. He asked his father about this when he finally noticed.
"Pop, where are we going?"
"You'll see," said Robert mysteriously. After another ten minutes of driving, they pulled into the drive of an old, huge house, set back on a piece of property covered in huge trees. The place was beautiful in the sunlight, casting shadow in all the right places. Satine held Christian's hand as they stepped out of the car and looked at the huge, beautiful house set in shadow by green trees. Christian asked, "Pop, what's this?"
Robert smiled. "Think of it as dowry. Well, in the reverse. This was your grandfather's house that he built with his own two hands, and he left it to you for when you were ready. I think you're ready." With that, he got in the car and drove away. Satine and Christian walked into their new home.
It was fully furnished. The house looked beautiful. It must have taken forever to clean it up.
"Holy shit, Dad," Christian breathed, looking around. He stopped Satine before she could come inside.
"Isn't the groom supposed to carry the bride across the threshold?" he asked.
"But we're not married yet."
"Think of it as practice," he said, sweeping Satine off the floor into his arms and carrying her into the house . . . their home . . . .
**************************************************************************
Aww, she's ALIVE! I hope I made people happy. I want you to know that I don't plan on going back on myself and killing her later. At least, I don't plan to right now. ;-) I think there may be one or two more chapters, three at the most. I was thinking about doing a sequel. Let me know if you think I should. Maybe not now, but when I'm finished or something. Anyway, thanks everybody, and don't forget to review!
~Evie
"No way," the nurse said, "There's no way. She's not having Donovan's baby, she's having Gregory's."
"I'm telling you, Gregory can't be the father because he's impotent," argued Christian's mother.
"But they do that all the time. They make you think one thing . . ." the phone rang. "Just one second. Hello? . . . . Oh . . . I'll tell them . . . . Right." The nurse hung up the phone and turned to Christian's mother. "Your daughter-in-law just came out of surgery, Julia," she said, "You and your son can go see her, if you want. She's in Recovery 303, first door on your left after you get off the elevator."
Julia thanked the nurse, then went to Christian. "Darling," she said, "Adrienne's out of surgery."
Christian blanched. She was out. What would she look like?
"Are you all right? You just lost all the color in your face. Are you sure you can see her? We can come back later . . ."
Christian just started walking toward the elevators, following the signs that said "Recovery."
He found her room easy enough, pushed the door open, and walked inside.
The curtains had been drawn and all the lights were turned out. The only light in the room was coming through the open doorway. Satine lay on the bed with the sheets pulled up to her underarms, her arms lying above the sheets. She seemed to be asleep. A doctor stood by her bed.
"I'm Dr. White. I'll be keeping track of Adrienne's recovery," he said, shaking hands with Christian. Christian walked over to Satine.
"So that means she will recover, right?"
"Well," the doctor said, "She will recover, but there may be slight . . . continuing damage."
"What kind of damage?"
"Memory loss. Mild memory loss, basically a form of amnesia."
"Amnesia? But people only get that in movies."
"Not exactly. There have been recorded cases of acute amnesia, which is what you see in, ahem, soap operas and such. But mostly, there is only the kind that Miss Adrienne may have. It's still just a possibility."
Christian was worried about having his darling open her eyes and not know him. That all their love was for nothing. Dr. White cleared his throat again. "There's not much to see tonight. I suggest the two of you go home, and we'll call you if there are any changes."
Christian didn't move. He didn't want her to wake up without him there. He told his mother to go home, then made himself a makeshift bed in the chair in the corner. He'd stay all night.
He was awoken by a soft cry. Like a child waking from a nap. He opened his eyes and looked over to Satine and saw her turning to look at him.
"Darling," he said, rushing to her side, "How do you feel?"
She looked confused for a moment, then said, "I'm fine. Where am I?"
"You're in recovery."
"I know I'm in recovery, I'm talking about where I am in the hospital."
Christian laughed at some of the old humor. "No, darling, you're in the recovery wing of the hospital. You've just had surgery."
"Oh." She smiled at him, putting a hand on his cheek. "I missed you while I was asleep," she said.
Christian sighed mentally in relief. She remembered.
"I love you. I can't remember anything else, but I know I love you, Christian."
He tightened. She couldn't remember anything but him. Maybe it'd be easier this way . . .
"Well, you know you're name is Adrienne, right?"
"Adrienne . . . I seem to remember something else . . ."
"You grew up in New York with your dad, Harold, who ran a club you sang at sometimes."
"And I slept with men for money . . ."
"No," Christian said firmly. He had his chance to give her a new life. He wasn't going to give her back the old one, the one she had wanted to escape from. "No, you didn't. You were an actress. You starred in huge hits at the Club Rouge."
"Yes," she said, accepting, "I remember now. I remember an apartment, with an elephant . . . for a balcony . . ."
"Yeah, that's right."
They continued in this vein for a while, until Satine knew her past, remembered herself and told to her by Christian. She hadn't really lost her memory, she was just coming out of a period of delirium, so she only remembered those things clearest to her *(I know, it sucks, but just ignore that part if you have to)*, like Christian and her love for him. Now she remembered it all.
It was a few days before she could leave the hospital, and very carefully at that. The doctors instructed her that any jolts of any kind could break the mends they had started until a bit later. She agreed to be very careful, and she and Christian left the hospital together driven by Christian's father, Robert.
Christian was too absorbed in holding and being with Satine that he didn't notice they were going someplace completely different from his old home. He asked his father about this when he finally noticed.
"Pop, where are we going?"
"You'll see," said Robert mysteriously. After another ten minutes of driving, they pulled into the drive of an old, huge house, set back on a piece of property covered in huge trees. The place was beautiful in the sunlight, casting shadow in all the right places. Satine held Christian's hand as they stepped out of the car and looked at the huge, beautiful house set in shadow by green trees. Christian asked, "Pop, what's this?"
Robert smiled. "Think of it as dowry. Well, in the reverse. This was your grandfather's house that he built with his own two hands, and he left it to you for when you were ready. I think you're ready." With that, he got in the car and drove away. Satine and Christian walked into their new home.
It was fully furnished. The house looked beautiful. It must have taken forever to clean it up.
"Holy shit, Dad," Christian breathed, looking around. He stopped Satine before she could come inside.
"Isn't the groom supposed to carry the bride across the threshold?" he asked.
"But we're not married yet."
"Think of it as practice," he said, sweeping Satine off the floor into his arms and carrying her into the house . . . their home . . . .
**************************************************************************
Aww, she's ALIVE! I hope I made people happy. I want you to know that I don't plan on going back on myself and killing her later. At least, I don't plan to right now. ;-) I think there may be one or two more chapters, three at the most. I was thinking about doing a sequel. Let me know if you think I should. Maybe not now, but when I'm finished or something. Anyway, thanks everybody, and don't forget to review!
~Evie
