Disclaimer: I don't own Moulin Rouge.
A.N. Thanks for the good reviews. Sorry this chapter took a little longer.
The next morning, Satine woke up before Christian. She suddenly felt very scared about the day ahead of her. She knew that today Christian planned to take her to the doctor. Satine had never had a strong fear of doctors before, nor did she have one now. She was more afraid of what she would find out while she was there. Satine knew that she couldn't keep pretending that her coughing fits would go away on their own. She also knew that something had happened to her in that fall that also wasn't going to go away. Either way, something was wrong with her.
Soon, Christian woke up. Satine decided to keep her fear to herself for now. Christian and Satine joined Molly, Kyle, and Blaire for breakfast before leaving for the doctor's office.
As they headed up the path in front of the house, Satine once again grabbed Christian's hand. The doctor's office was not too far away from the house, which was a good thing because the streets were much more crowded this morning than the previous day. When they reached the doctor's Satine was gripping Christian's hand so tightly that it was beginning to cut off his circulation. Christian knocked on the door with his free hand, and a tall, middle-aged man answered the door. "How may I help you?" he asked.
"Hello. My name is Christian James and this is Satine. We were referred to you by Harold Zidler" Christian said.
"Of course. Harold informed me that you would be coming soon. Please, come in." Christian and Satine followed the doctor inside. "Now, Harold told me that Satine has been experiencing some head trauma-like symptoms following a fall. Satine, can you explain to me what specifically has gone on?" he asked.
"Well, I just feel like I'm, well, lost. I feel like the only person in the world that I truly know is Christian. I recognize other people, like Harold, but recognizing them doesn't stop me from becoming afraid. Every time we go out, I have to be holding Christian's hand. It's like I'm small again. Everything is new to me, even the things in Paris that I had been seeing every day for years." Satine said.
The doctor looked at them and said "What you are describing is actually a very common result of a head injury. I have a few more questions, though. What type of surface did you fall on, Satine?
"A wood floor." Satine answered, but she wasn't positive that the stage had been wooden.
"And what area of your head hit the floor?" the doctor asked. Satine hadn't the slightest idea of exactly where on her head she had fallen. Thankfully, Christian did.
"She hit the left side" he said. Satine wondered how he could remember such little details.
The doctor wrote all of this on his notepad. "Well, I think I know of a way to help Satine. However, I'll need to give her a quick medical exam first, just to be safe. Satine, if you'll come with me we can get started. Christian, you can wait out here.
A look of terror filled Satine's eyes. He wanted her to follow him alone? He wanted her to leave Christian? There was no way she could do that. The doctor and Christian both sensed Satine's fear. Christian went over to her and very gently touched her face.
"You'll be fine, Satine. I'll be right out here. I'm not leaving you" he said. Satine nodded and followed the doctor.
Satine's "quick" medical exam actually took over an hour. Christian now wished that he hadn't agreed to wait outside. He wanted to know what was going on in the office. He had a feeling that something was wrong with Satine that had nothing to do with her fall.
The doctor emerged from his office alone, which immediately scared Christian. "Mr. James, I need to speak with you for a moment" he said as he sat down.
"Has Satine been coughing a lot lately?" he asked. Christian nodded. "Well, Christian, I'm afraid I found out why and it's not good. As it turns out, Satine is in the moderate stages of consumption. It's a good thing you brought her to me when you did because without proper treatment, she will die.
Christian sat silent for a moment. How could this be happening? He looked up at the doctor. "What can we do to treat it?" he asked.
"Well, I have a suppressive medicine that will keep her from showing the symptoms of the disease, but it will keep progressing even with this medication. With Satine in the moderate stages already, what we really want to do is to stop the disease from progressing any farther. There is a new medication available that will do this, but it is risky considering how new it is. However, I will give it to you as it is the only resource we have." He handed Christian a small vial of medicine. "Also," he said, "do you live with any other people? Especially children?
"Yes, we live with my sister, brother-in-law, and their six-year-old daughter." Christian answered.
"Have them come by my place as soon as possible. They need to be vaccinated against the disease. Especially the six-year-old. Now, in addition to that medicine Satine will need lots of rest. The medication has a side effect of drowsiness so this really shouldn't be a problem. Also, keep her inside as much as possible. If it's warm out, sitting in the backyard is ok but I don't want her walking around London.
Christian agreed, and asked to see Satine. The doctor led him into the exam room, where Satine lay sleeping on the bed. Christian walked over to her and kissed her cheek. Satine woke up, and immediately started to cry.
"Christian, I'm going to die aren't I?" she asked through her sobs. Christian took out the bottle of medicine. "No, you're not. The doctor gave us some medicine that is going to help you. Now let's get you home." He helped Satine off of the bed and led her out of the room. Christian thanked the doctor and the two of them left the office, the same way they had came in. Only this time, Christian was holding Satine's hand more tightly than she was holding his.
A.N. Ok, when I said "a little longer" at the beginning, I guess that turned into "a lot longer." I promise the next one won't take as long.