The doctor rushed through the door and knelt by the bleeding Christian. He was a young doctor, and his glasses kept falling down his nose. He set his bag down and opened it. Then he instructed Ryan and Satine to give him some room., which they did reluctantly.
Christian felt them leave as the doctor pulled their hands from his. He opened his eyes and began to reach for them. "Satine? Ryan?" he said as loud as he could, which wasn't very loud. The doctor frowned and pulled a syringe from his bag. He filled it with a clear liquid, then jabbed it into Christian's side.
Christian cried out loudly when the needle penetrated his already wounded skin. Satine wanted to go to him, but Marie held her back.. Christian began to breathe quickly and heavily, but soon began to calm. His breathing became calm and steady, but his eyes glazed over.
Ryan turned away into his mother's arms as the doctor began to inspect the wound. His frown deepened and he looked up at Satine. "Are you his wife?"
Just about, she thought. "Yes." she answered, surprised at the strength in her words.
"We'll need to get him to my clinic quickly. He needs emergency surgery to remove the bullet and repair any damage it did."
Satine nodded. "Will he make it?"
The doctor shook his head. "I don't know. I can't see all of the damage the bullet has done. I also don't know him, and he will be the biggest factor." He stood up quickly, then rushed back down the stairs to his transport. Satine rushed forward and grasped both his hands in hers. He didn't react, only stared at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.
"You're going to be alright, Christian. Do you hear me? You're going to be fine." She said it more to herself than the drugged Christian.
"Look. It's the Green Fairy," Christian mumbled. Satine sighed; now the medicine had him seeing things.
The doctor came back in with an assistant, and both were carrying one end of a stretcher. The doctor carefully dressed Christian's wound to help stop the bleeding, then signalled to the assistant. They slowly picked Christian up and moved him onto the stretcher, securing him afterwards.
Satine followed them as they rushed down the stairs. The doctor had a car, in which they placed Christian in the back. Satine rushed up to the car as the doctor got in, but he shook his head.
"Not enough room."
"But he'll need someone there to comfort him!" she protested, suddenly aware of the small crowd of busy-bodies who had come to see what had happened. She glared at them before turning back to the doctor. "You said it all depends on him. If he thinks he is alone, he may give up. Someone should be with him."
The doctor frowned but looked like he was thinking about it. "There isn't enough room in here for an adult, but the kid could fit."
Satine turned to Ryan, who had followed them down as well. She knelt down and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Ryan, are you alright?"
"Yes." he said, with forced bravery.
"Good. Could you ride in the car with Christian? Just talk to him if he wakes up?"
Ryan nodded, then looked down at the ground. "Mom? Why did this happen?"
Satine grimaced. "It was all an accident, honey. It was just being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Will he die or go into 'suspended animation' like you did?"
Satine sighed. "He will die." Ryan nodded again, then threw his arms around his mom. She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. "Go now. Don't keep them waiting."
Ryan set his jaw and nodded curtly. Then he walked calmly up to the car, opened a door, then jumped in. The car took off with a jolt, then began to drive quickly down the road. Satine watched after it for a moment, holding her arms to herself. She jumped when Marie touched her shoulder, but quickly calmed. "This was my fault, wasn't it?"
Marie shook her head, although Satine couldn't see it. "No, Satine. It is the Duke's fault."
"But you told me that if I kept seeing him, he was going to end up dead. Now it looks as though that might happen."
"No. Christian is strong. He will pull through.
It was six hours later when Satine was finally able to work up her courage to go to the hospital to see if Christian was still with them. She walked slowly, alone, with a scarf wrapped tightly around her. She didn't look at anyone as she passed, and no one paid her any mind. She stepped into the hospital whose name had been on the car, and was surprised by the cleanliness of it. It was obviously a new hospital. She stepped up to a woman at a desk and cleared her throat.
"Excuse me. Where can I find a man who was brought in earlier?"
The woman lowered her glasses and stopped typing on her typewriter. She sighed and grabbed a huge stack of folders. "What is his name?"
"Christian James. He's about thirty, dark hair, blue eyes."
The woman nodded absently as she thumbed through folders. She pulled one out, then looked at Satine. "Gunshot wound?"
"Yes! How is he?"
"It says here that he got out of his surgery about half an hour ago. A little boy was brought in with him. Do you know him?"
"Yes. The little boy is Ryan James, my...our son." Satine leaned forward and tried to look down a hall, but the woman coughed in annoyance, so she pulled back.
"Do you want to see him?"
"I want to see my son and Christian."
"Room 622. Down that hall, " she said, pointing to the hall opposite the one Satine had looked down.
"Merci." Satine said as she rushed down the hall. She reached the said room, then threw open the door. She caught a brief glance of the room before something rammed into her, shouting, "Mom!"
She looked down at Ryan, who had wrapped his arms tightly around his mother. "I'm here, Ryan. I'm here."
"This is all my fault!"
"No, no it's not." She knelt down again and looked her son in the eyes. "Why do you think it is your fault?"
"Because I invited him to come eat for my birthday! If I had done what you said, he wouldn't be in the hospital now!" Ryan began to cry, and Satine held him to her, fighting tears herself. She lifted her eyes to the still form on the bed. She tore them away, then pulled away from Ryan.
She dug in her pocket and produced a few francs. "Here. Go get you something to eat. It will make you feel better." She turned his face up with her hand. "And it was not your fault."
Ryan nodded, then walked slowly out of the room, glancing once at Christian before closing the door behind him.
Satine sighed and stood up. Then she walked slowly over to where Christian lay on the stiff hospital bed. He was out of it, and the only evidence of his horrible experience was the dressing that could be seen just above the blanket. She sniffed once, then sat on the edge of his bed, stroking his hair.
She half-expected him to open his eyes and flash her that boyish smile of his, but of course it didn't happen. She looked down at him, while continuing to stroke his hair. "Never knew, I could feel like this." She began to sing absently, lost in her memories. "Like I've never seen the sky, before."
She laughed sadly and laid her hand on his face. "I'm so sorry Christian. Maybe it would have been better if we had never given our love another try. But think of what we would miss." She looked down at the blanket. "Now I know how you felt, all those years ago. And I understand why you changed." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Get well, my love."
Christian felt them leave as the doctor pulled their hands from his. He opened his eyes and began to reach for them. "Satine? Ryan?" he said as loud as he could, which wasn't very loud. The doctor frowned and pulled a syringe from his bag. He filled it with a clear liquid, then jabbed it into Christian's side.
Christian cried out loudly when the needle penetrated his already wounded skin. Satine wanted to go to him, but Marie held her back.. Christian began to breathe quickly and heavily, but soon began to calm. His breathing became calm and steady, but his eyes glazed over.
Ryan turned away into his mother's arms as the doctor began to inspect the wound. His frown deepened and he looked up at Satine. "Are you his wife?"
Just about, she thought. "Yes." she answered, surprised at the strength in her words.
"We'll need to get him to my clinic quickly. He needs emergency surgery to remove the bullet and repair any damage it did."
Satine nodded. "Will he make it?"
The doctor shook his head. "I don't know. I can't see all of the damage the bullet has done. I also don't know him, and he will be the biggest factor." He stood up quickly, then rushed back down the stairs to his transport. Satine rushed forward and grasped both his hands in hers. He didn't react, only stared at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.
"You're going to be alright, Christian. Do you hear me? You're going to be fine." She said it more to herself than the drugged Christian.
"Look. It's the Green Fairy," Christian mumbled. Satine sighed; now the medicine had him seeing things.
The doctor came back in with an assistant, and both were carrying one end of a stretcher. The doctor carefully dressed Christian's wound to help stop the bleeding, then signalled to the assistant. They slowly picked Christian up and moved him onto the stretcher, securing him afterwards.
Satine followed them as they rushed down the stairs. The doctor had a car, in which they placed Christian in the back. Satine rushed up to the car as the doctor got in, but he shook his head.
"Not enough room."
"But he'll need someone there to comfort him!" she protested, suddenly aware of the small crowd of busy-bodies who had come to see what had happened. She glared at them before turning back to the doctor. "You said it all depends on him. If he thinks he is alone, he may give up. Someone should be with him."
The doctor frowned but looked like he was thinking about it. "There isn't enough room in here for an adult, but the kid could fit."
Satine turned to Ryan, who had followed them down as well. She knelt down and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Ryan, are you alright?"
"Yes." he said, with forced bravery.
"Good. Could you ride in the car with Christian? Just talk to him if he wakes up?"
Ryan nodded, then looked down at the ground. "Mom? Why did this happen?"
Satine grimaced. "It was all an accident, honey. It was just being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Will he die or go into 'suspended animation' like you did?"
Satine sighed. "He will die." Ryan nodded again, then threw his arms around his mom. She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. "Go now. Don't keep them waiting."
Ryan set his jaw and nodded curtly. Then he walked calmly up to the car, opened a door, then jumped in. The car took off with a jolt, then began to drive quickly down the road. Satine watched after it for a moment, holding her arms to herself. She jumped when Marie touched her shoulder, but quickly calmed. "This was my fault, wasn't it?"
Marie shook her head, although Satine couldn't see it. "No, Satine. It is the Duke's fault."
"But you told me that if I kept seeing him, he was going to end up dead. Now it looks as though that might happen."
"No. Christian is strong. He will pull through.
It was six hours later when Satine was finally able to work up her courage to go to the hospital to see if Christian was still with them. She walked slowly, alone, with a scarf wrapped tightly around her. She didn't look at anyone as she passed, and no one paid her any mind. She stepped into the hospital whose name had been on the car, and was surprised by the cleanliness of it. It was obviously a new hospital. She stepped up to a woman at a desk and cleared her throat.
"Excuse me. Where can I find a man who was brought in earlier?"
The woman lowered her glasses and stopped typing on her typewriter. She sighed and grabbed a huge stack of folders. "What is his name?"
"Christian James. He's about thirty, dark hair, blue eyes."
The woman nodded absently as she thumbed through folders. She pulled one out, then looked at Satine. "Gunshot wound?"
"Yes! How is he?"
"It says here that he got out of his surgery about half an hour ago. A little boy was brought in with him. Do you know him?"
"Yes. The little boy is Ryan James, my...our son." Satine leaned forward and tried to look down a hall, but the woman coughed in annoyance, so she pulled back.
"Do you want to see him?"
"I want to see my son and Christian."
"Room 622. Down that hall, " she said, pointing to the hall opposite the one Satine had looked down.
"Merci." Satine said as she rushed down the hall. She reached the said room, then threw open the door. She caught a brief glance of the room before something rammed into her, shouting, "Mom!"
She looked down at Ryan, who had wrapped his arms tightly around his mother. "I'm here, Ryan. I'm here."
"This is all my fault!"
"No, no it's not." She knelt down again and looked her son in the eyes. "Why do you think it is your fault?"
"Because I invited him to come eat for my birthday! If I had done what you said, he wouldn't be in the hospital now!" Ryan began to cry, and Satine held him to her, fighting tears herself. She lifted her eyes to the still form on the bed. She tore them away, then pulled away from Ryan.
She dug in her pocket and produced a few francs. "Here. Go get you something to eat. It will make you feel better." She turned his face up with her hand. "And it was not your fault."
Ryan nodded, then walked slowly out of the room, glancing once at Christian before closing the door behind him.
Satine sighed and stood up. Then she walked slowly over to where Christian lay on the stiff hospital bed. He was out of it, and the only evidence of his horrible experience was the dressing that could be seen just above the blanket. She sniffed once, then sat on the edge of his bed, stroking his hair.
She half-expected him to open his eyes and flash her that boyish smile of his, but of course it didn't happen. She looked down at him, while continuing to stroke his hair. "Never knew, I could feel like this." She began to sing absently, lost in her memories. "Like I've never seen the sky, before."
She laughed sadly and laid her hand on his face. "I'm so sorry Christian. Maybe it would have been better if we had never given our love another try. But think of what we would miss." She looked down at the blanket. "Now I know how you felt, all those years ago. And I understand why you changed." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Get well, my love."