::Kate::
Kate stared at Marius sadly. He was engaged! Why hadn't he mentioned anything to her about it? Now her feelings were a lost cause. She had liked him ever since they first met, but now all she could do was admire him from afar. She sighed. Her life was all wrong. She was alone at fourteen with a child, her family was dead, and now her only hope was diminished. 'Stop being such a baby.' She told herself, but it was easier said than done. She only fourteen, for god's sake! She turned away as she heard Cosette come to.
"Are you ok?" Marius said form behind her. Cosette groaned. Kate turned and saw Marius plant a kiss on Cosette's forehead. She felt a plunge in her stomach, and her eyes started burning. What was happening?
She felt Eponine next to her, watching her reactions. "Kate?" She said quietly, so only they could hear the conversation. She didn't answer, but Eponine went on anyway.
"If it's not to bold to ask, do you...uh..." She breathed in and said her next sentence very quickly. "Do you have any feelings for Marius?" This hit Kate like a rock. Was she that obviously open with her feelings?
"Me? No Mademoiselle." She tried to hide the blush she felt rising to
her cheeks.
"Please. Call me Eponine. And I don't believe you." Kate stared,
shocked.
"Believe what you like," She said coolly, trying to hide her flustered
feelings. "But I know what is true. I-"
At that moment, Enjolras entered with the doctor at his heels.
"She woke up?" He asked Marius breathlessly. Marius nodded, stroking Cosette's forehead as the doctor put down his bag. They propped Cosette up while Marius talked quietly with the doctor. He gestured towards Cosette every so often, and she eyed him suspiciously, watching his every move. The doctor came over to her.
"I'm going to check your pulse," He informed her, reaching for her wrist. "It feels normal." He said, facing Marius. "From what you've told me the only conclusion I can draw is that she had what you might call an 'attack of anxiety', when the nerves get overworked from stressful events, and it's nothing to be worried about, I can assure you, Monsieur." He said, eyeing the way Marius had tensed at theses last words.
"Will she be okay?" Marius asked, his brow wrinkled with lines of worry.
"Absolutely. She might need some more sleep, but she's fine, really she is." The doctor smiled. "Now, I heard there was one other girl you wanted me to inspect?" Enjolras nodded.
"That would be Kate." He said, leading the doctor over to the bed where Kate lay very still, the whites of her eyes glowing in the semi-darkness.
"What's wrong with her?" The doctor said, looking her over.
"She has a bullet wound to the shoulder and is...well she is, uh, with child." Enjolras shifted uncomfortably.
"Are you the father?" The Doctor asked casually. This made Enjolras jump.
"Who? Me? No, no, no, monsieur. It was a product of rape, if I'm correct?" He eyed Kate, who nodded sadly. The doctor continued to tend to Kate in silence, applying fresh bandages and listening her pulse and breath.
The doctor finished his work and collected his money before leaving silently. The deafening silence lingered behind him as everyone stared around at each other in turn. Eponine broke the silence.
"What do we do now?" Everyone gave a shrug except for Kate, who had fallen into a restless sleep.
"We could send for my father, he would be happy to come and get us." Cosette suggested.
"How do you propose we do that?" Marius argued.
"By letter, how else?" She said tersely.
"It's worth a try." Eponine said optimistically. "Alright. Anyone have stationary here?" No one spoke up.
"Its ok, I have this." Said Marius, pulling out a piece of ripped parchment and a quill pen out from his pocket.
Cosette snatched it away and began to scribble furiously away at the note. With a final flourish she lifted the pen and announced, "Done." She then folded it up and addressed it to her father. "When does the mail carrier come around?" She said as more of a demand, to Marius.
"I have no idea." He replied truthfully. "We'll have to wait and see tomorrow." Everyone shrugged.
"That sounds ok. But let's try to get some sleep now."
Enjolras walked over and wrapped his arms around Eponine, squeezing her tightly, as if he thought she might try to run away. They sunk down to the floor and Enjolras held Eponine as she rested her head on his shoulder, letting her eyes slip closed. Marius pulled up a chair close to Cosette and settled down, his hand on her arm. Kate waited until all their breathing had turned into long, even breaths before she opened her eyes and turned over, sobbing fully into her pillow.
Kate stared at Marius sadly. He was engaged! Why hadn't he mentioned anything to her about it? Now her feelings were a lost cause. She had liked him ever since they first met, but now all she could do was admire him from afar. She sighed. Her life was all wrong. She was alone at fourteen with a child, her family was dead, and now her only hope was diminished. 'Stop being such a baby.' She told herself, but it was easier said than done. She only fourteen, for god's sake! She turned away as she heard Cosette come to.
"Are you ok?" Marius said form behind her. Cosette groaned. Kate turned and saw Marius plant a kiss on Cosette's forehead. She felt a plunge in her stomach, and her eyes started burning. What was happening?
She felt Eponine next to her, watching her reactions. "Kate?" She said quietly, so only they could hear the conversation. She didn't answer, but Eponine went on anyway.
"If it's not to bold to ask, do you...uh..." She breathed in and said her next sentence very quickly. "Do you have any feelings for Marius?" This hit Kate like a rock. Was she that obviously open with her feelings?
"Me? No Mademoiselle." She tried to hide the blush she felt rising to
her cheeks.
"Please. Call me Eponine. And I don't believe you." Kate stared,
shocked.
"Believe what you like," She said coolly, trying to hide her flustered
feelings. "But I know what is true. I-"
At that moment, Enjolras entered with the doctor at his heels.
"She woke up?" He asked Marius breathlessly. Marius nodded, stroking Cosette's forehead as the doctor put down his bag. They propped Cosette up while Marius talked quietly with the doctor. He gestured towards Cosette every so often, and she eyed him suspiciously, watching his every move. The doctor came over to her.
"I'm going to check your pulse," He informed her, reaching for her wrist. "It feels normal." He said, facing Marius. "From what you've told me the only conclusion I can draw is that she had what you might call an 'attack of anxiety', when the nerves get overworked from stressful events, and it's nothing to be worried about, I can assure you, Monsieur." He said, eyeing the way Marius had tensed at theses last words.
"Will she be okay?" Marius asked, his brow wrinkled with lines of worry.
"Absolutely. She might need some more sleep, but she's fine, really she is." The doctor smiled. "Now, I heard there was one other girl you wanted me to inspect?" Enjolras nodded.
"That would be Kate." He said, leading the doctor over to the bed where Kate lay very still, the whites of her eyes glowing in the semi-darkness.
"What's wrong with her?" The doctor said, looking her over.
"She has a bullet wound to the shoulder and is...well she is, uh, with child." Enjolras shifted uncomfortably.
"Are you the father?" The Doctor asked casually. This made Enjolras jump.
"Who? Me? No, no, no, monsieur. It was a product of rape, if I'm correct?" He eyed Kate, who nodded sadly. The doctor continued to tend to Kate in silence, applying fresh bandages and listening her pulse and breath.
The doctor finished his work and collected his money before leaving silently. The deafening silence lingered behind him as everyone stared around at each other in turn. Eponine broke the silence.
"What do we do now?" Everyone gave a shrug except for Kate, who had fallen into a restless sleep.
"We could send for my father, he would be happy to come and get us." Cosette suggested.
"How do you propose we do that?" Marius argued.
"By letter, how else?" She said tersely.
"It's worth a try." Eponine said optimistically. "Alright. Anyone have stationary here?" No one spoke up.
"Its ok, I have this." Said Marius, pulling out a piece of ripped parchment and a quill pen out from his pocket.
Cosette snatched it away and began to scribble furiously away at the note. With a final flourish she lifted the pen and announced, "Done." She then folded it up and addressed it to her father. "When does the mail carrier come around?" She said as more of a demand, to Marius.
"I have no idea." He replied truthfully. "We'll have to wait and see tomorrow." Everyone shrugged.
"That sounds ok. But let's try to get some sleep now."
Enjolras walked over and wrapped his arms around Eponine, squeezing her tightly, as if he thought she might try to run away. They sunk down to the floor and Enjolras held Eponine as she rested her head on his shoulder, letting her eyes slip closed. Marius pulled up a chair close to Cosette and settled down, his hand on her arm. Kate waited until all their breathing had turned into long, even breaths before she opened her eyes and turned over, sobbing fully into her pillow.