Satine gasped when she saw the man running towards her. She heard him shout and saw him try to turn, but they collided anyway. He hit her, and she fell. Then, unbalanced, he tumbled forward and lost his footing as he ran into her again. Satine watched, with a hand clamped over her mouth, as he tumbled down the stairs. He landed almost on his head as he hit the bottom, only to have it slam against the ballister. The man lay limp at the foot of the stairs.
Satine rushed down the stairs, then froze when she saw the unconsious man's face. It was Christian! She rushed to his side and looked him over. He had a bruise already appearing on his cheekbone, but she was more alarmed with the large gash on his forehead.
Her head snapped up as she heard heavy footsteps. Christian had been running, trying to get away from something. She wasn't sure what, though she had a very good idea, but she didn't want it to find Christian. She grasped his feet and pulled him down the hall, then shoved him into a storage closet. She grabbed a heavy prop and tossed it down the flight of stairs heading down, so whoever was chasing him would hear it and think he went down. Then she settled into the closet with him.
She held her breath as the footsteps went past the closet, and held Christian closer to her. He groaned, but not loud enough to be heard outside of the thick door. The footsteps could then be heard running down the stairs, until they disappeared. Satine sighed, but did not emerge from the closet. She wanted to make sure whoever it was had really gone.
It was a few minutes of waiting until Satine fully realized what she was doing. She was holding Christian. She had cradled his head in her lap, and held it close to her. She looked down at his face, so handsome, even with a bruise and blood all over it. She found a rag amongst the boxes and began to wipe some of it away. She longed, however, to see his eyes. His eyes that had never lied to her, had never faultered in their love for her. She laughed to herself, she sounded silly.
She groaned and sat up, gently laying Christian's head on the floor, and prepared to leave. She thought it would be best for him to never know she was alive. But a part of her heart pulled her back. She couldn't just leave him here. What if whoever was after him decided to come back. She looked down at his still bleeding head wound. He also needed to be taken care of.
She stood up straight, having decided that she would not cower before the Duke anymore. She would love who she chose to love. And if the Duke dared to threaten her again, she would leave Paris with her son. And with Christian, she added to herself. She stepped out of the closet, then locked it, with Christian still in it.
Then she ran as fast as she could to the home she shared with Marie. When she entered, both Marie and Ryan looked up at her curiously.
"Marie!" she said, out of breath. "I need you to come help me with something!" Satine turned to her son. "Ryan, I need you to run to the neighbors and fetch some fresh water and some extra blankets. Hurry!"
Ryan nodded and rushed past her out the door. Marie followed Satine as they hurried back to the Moulin Rouge. Marie wanted to ask what was going on, but the look on Satine's face stopped her. She hadn't seen Satine this determined since she was about to leave the Moulin Rouge with Christian.
The two women hurried up the stairs until Satine stopped at the door with Christian inside it. She quickly unlocked it and opened the door. Marie gasped when she saw who was inside.
"Satine! What happened?"
"I was looking for some more papers, and he was running from something, or some one. He tried to turn, but he ran into me. Then he fell down the stairs."
Marie bent down to inspect Christian's cut, which had finally stopped bleeding. "How long has he been out?"
"Oh, I don't know. But we must get him out of here!"
"Satine! We cannot bring this boy into our home! Do you know what will happen? If the Duke comes, and sees him, he may try to finish him off. I am pretty sure that it was the Duke or his henchman that was following him."
"How would you know? You weren't there."
"Who else would be after Christian?"
Satine nodded, the point well made. "Marie, please. We must help him. I'm afraid if we leave him here, he will die. I'm tired of hiding, Marie. I want to be free."
Marie stared at Satine for a moment before nodding. "But we cannot protect him from the Duke. You know that, right?"
"Yes, I do."
Marie nodded and began to pick Christian up. With the combined efforts of the two women, they were able to partially carry the still out-of-it Christian to the bottom floor of the Moulin Rouge. Marie hailed a cab, and they managed to get him into the back, telling the driver that he was drunk.
Satine rushed down the stairs, then froze when she saw the unconsious man's face. It was Christian! She rushed to his side and looked him over. He had a bruise already appearing on his cheekbone, but she was more alarmed with the large gash on his forehead.
Her head snapped up as she heard heavy footsteps. Christian had been running, trying to get away from something. She wasn't sure what, though she had a very good idea, but she didn't want it to find Christian. She grasped his feet and pulled him down the hall, then shoved him into a storage closet. She grabbed a heavy prop and tossed it down the flight of stairs heading down, so whoever was chasing him would hear it and think he went down. Then she settled into the closet with him.
She held her breath as the footsteps went past the closet, and held Christian closer to her. He groaned, but not loud enough to be heard outside of the thick door. The footsteps could then be heard running down the stairs, until they disappeared. Satine sighed, but did not emerge from the closet. She wanted to make sure whoever it was had really gone.
It was a few minutes of waiting until Satine fully realized what she was doing. She was holding Christian. She had cradled his head in her lap, and held it close to her. She looked down at his face, so handsome, even with a bruise and blood all over it. She found a rag amongst the boxes and began to wipe some of it away. She longed, however, to see his eyes. His eyes that had never lied to her, had never faultered in their love for her. She laughed to herself, she sounded silly.
She groaned and sat up, gently laying Christian's head on the floor, and prepared to leave. She thought it would be best for him to never know she was alive. But a part of her heart pulled her back. She couldn't just leave him here. What if whoever was after him decided to come back. She looked down at his still bleeding head wound. He also needed to be taken care of.
She stood up straight, having decided that she would not cower before the Duke anymore. She would love who she chose to love. And if the Duke dared to threaten her again, she would leave Paris with her son. And with Christian, she added to herself. She stepped out of the closet, then locked it, with Christian still in it.
Then she ran as fast as she could to the home she shared with Marie. When she entered, both Marie and Ryan looked up at her curiously.
"Marie!" she said, out of breath. "I need you to come help me with something!" Satine turned to her son. "Ryan, I need you to run to the neighbors and fetch some fresh water and some extra blankets. Hurry!"
Ryan nodded and rushed past her out the door. Marie followed Satine as they hurried back to the Moulin Rouge. Marie wanted to ask what was going on, but the look on Satine's face stopped her. She hadn't seen Satine this determined since she was about to leave the Moulin Rouge with Christian.
The two women hurried up the stairs until Satine stopped at the door with Christian inside it. She quickly unlocked it and opened the door. Marie gasped when she saw who was inside.
"Satine! What happened?"
"I was looking for some more papers, and he was running from something, or some one. He tried to turn, but he ran into me. Then he fell down the stairs."
Marie bent down to inspect Christian's cut, which had finally stopped bleeding. "How long has he been out?"
"Oh, I don't know. But we must get him out of here!"
"Satine! We cannot bring this boy into our home! Do you know what will happen? If the Duke comes, and sees him, he may try to finish him off. I am pretty sure that it was the Duke or his henchman that was following him."
"How would you know? You weren't there."
"Who else would be after Christian?"
Satine nodded, the point well made. "Marie, please. We must help him. I'm afraid if we leave him here, he will die. I'm tired of hiding, Marie. I want to be free."
Marie stared at Satine for a moment before nodding. "But we cannot protect him from the Duke. You know that, right?"
"Yes, I do."
Marie nodded and began to pick Christian up. With the combined efforts of the two women, they were able to partially carry the still out-of-it Christian to the bottom floor of the Moulin Rouge. Marie hailed a cab, and they managed to get him into the back, telling the driver that he was drunk.