Chapter 20
Fortunately, I am only unconscious for a few moments... or at least it seems that way. I open my eyes slowly to take in my surrounds, not wishing to alert Claude that I am awake.
He is standing a short distance away with his back towards me, looking in the direction of Marie. He is a rather large man but I have dealt with much larger men and survived unscathed... he should pose no trouble.
I slowly and silently retrieve my Punjab lasso from within the folds of my cloak, careful not to alert him to my intentions. With my lasso in hand I deftly get to my feet in one swift movement, only making a sound when I wish him to turn in my direction. He turns to face me at the exact moment I flick the lasso, causing it to wrap around his neck. With the snap of my wrist I draw the noose tightly around his neck, not breaking it but reducing his air supply instead. I wish for him to suffer.
Finding a suitable vine near my foot, I quickly retrieve it and secure his hands behind his back. Glancing in Marie's direction I see that she has not moved. I keep a firm grip on the lasso as I pull Claude along with me to the clearing.
As I approach Marie I can now see that she is bleeding. What has he done to her? I tug on the lasso forcefully, causing the man to wince in pain as it cuts into his neck, drawing blood.
"What have you done to her?" I exclaim viciously as I gaze upon her unconscious form, hurrying to her side as I pull Claude along with me. He is gasping for air but I refuse to loosen the lasso. He has hurt Marie and he will pay dearly for it!
When I get to her side, I drop to my knees and immediately feel for a pulse. There is one but it is very weak.
"What have you done to her?" I demand again, this time loosening the lasso to allow him to speak.
As soon as he is able, he replies, "I did what should have been done a month ago when I killed her parents. If it weren't for your interference last week I would have been rid of her then! Now it is just a matter of time before she is dead."
I cannot believe his arrogance! He is standing before me with his hands bound and a lasso snuggly around his neck yet he has the nerve to tell me quite adamantly that he is determined to kill her! I have wasted enough time with him! He does not deserve to live a moment longer and with that something snaps within me and I find myself tightening the lasso in one very quick movement, breaking his neck with the sudden pressure and he sinks haphazardly to the ground in a heap.
Retrieving my lasso, I place it in my cloak and drop to my knees beside Marie. What had he meant when he said it was just a matter of time before she is dead? She cannot die! No, Not now, not for as long as I have a breath of life within me! I simply will not allow it!
Feeling for her pulse again I find that it is still very weak. Her breathing is quite shallow and her head is bleeding badly. Her skin feels so cold beneath my fingers and I fear that Claude was not lying. I quickly check for any other visible injuries. Finding none, I carefully take her into my arms and make my way to a nearby path.
As I look around I realize that we are no longer close to the entrance to my home, but instead, only a short distance from Madame Giry's house. Not wanting to take a chance by carrying Marie all the way to the Rue Scribe I hurry to the Giry's.
It takes less than two minutes to arrive at their door. "Madeline, Meg, open the door!" I call insistently as I kick the door, not able to knock properly.
Meg opens the door slightly and stands for a moment in startled silence as she sees Marie's limp body in my arms. Regaining her senses, she opens the door wider and ushers me in as she yells loudly, "Mother, come quick! Marie has been hurt!"
As Madeline hurries into the room she takes one look at Marie lying lifeless in my arms and exclaims, "my God, Erik! What happened?"
"We were attacked. But I do not have time to go into all the details. Where can I put her so I can see to her injuries?" I ask impatiently.
"You may put her in my room," Meg offers softly as she makes her way to the stairs. "Follow me."
"Thank you, Meg," I reply politely as I follow Meg up the stairs quickly with Marie's unmoving body held close. Why did this have to happen? Why had her dream been so late coming? Why did I not heed the warnings that were nagging at my mind all afternoon? It is too late now to worry about the whys, they are of no concern to me now. There is nothing that can be done to prevent what has already happened. Seeing to Marie is the most important thing for I will not allow her to die!
Upon entering the room, I gently place Marie on the bed. With Meg's help I go about lighting every gas lamp and candle I can find until the room is well lit and I can see clearly what I have to tend to.
She is still bleeding profusely from the gash on her head and in the bright light of the room I can see that there is a large lump on the back of her head which is also bleeding badly.
"Meg, get me a basin of warm water, a washcloth, several long strips of cloth, bandages, and a needle and thread," I order quickly as I go about examining the extent of her injuries. I must stop the bleeding before it is too late. She has already lost too much blood as it is.
Meg leaves the room quickly and returns a short time later with the supplies I requested. She places them on the nightstand beside me before standing back and watching anxiously over my shoulder.
"Thank you," I say absently as I dip the washcloth in the warm water and begin to gently wash away the blood, allowing me a better view of the gash. It is rather deep and will need to be stitched.
"Meg, could you please go around to the other side of the bed and do as I say?" I ask softly, trying to hide the fear that threatens to overtake me. What if I cannot save her? What if she dies? I will be left alone again and I know now that I could never go back to living a life of solitude. I cannot allow myself to think of such things!
"Of course, Erik," Meg says as she quickly hurries to the other side of the bed and waits for my instructions.
Taking a bandage, I place it over the cut on Marie's forehead. I then carefully roll Marie onto her side so that I can see the lump on the back of her head. I look Meg in the eye, for the first time since she left me in the house, and see fear and worry there. "Can you please hold this bandage in place, Meg? You will need to press hard on the cut to help stop the bleeding. Do you think that you will be able to do that for Marie?" I ask softly, knowing that she is frightened.
"Of course, Erik," Meg says, trying to sound confident as she climbs onto the bed beside Marie and places her hand on mine. I quickly slide my hand from beneath hers, allowing her to apply pressure directly to the wound. "How hard should I press?" she asks softly as she looks over at me, concern showing clearly in her eyes and I realize that she is afraid that she will hurt Marie.
"Press as hard as you can. Do not worry about hurting her, Meg, you must stop the bleeding to help her," I say reassuringly before turning my attention back to her other gash.
Dipping the cloth in water once again, I carefully clean the area and find that it is not as bad as it originally looked. A bandage and some ice will suffice.
"Is there anything I can do?" Madeline asks from the doorway, a worried look on her face.
"Could you fetch me some ice?" I ask as I dry the cut and place a bandage over it, applying pressure to it to stop the bleeding.
"Of course," she says quickly as she turns and hurries from the room.
While Madeline is gone, I turn to Meg. "Can you help me roll her over then hold this bandage while I take care of that cut?" I ask gently, as if speaking to a small child. I know that she understands the seriousness of the situation and that she is trying very hard to hide her fear.
"Yes," she answers simply.
"Good. Here, let me hold that while you come over here and help me roll her over," I suggest as I place my hand over hers. Before she removes her hand from beneath mine she hesitates a moment and looks me in the eye. She has felt the tremble in my hand as I have felt it in hers. As I look into her eyes I not only see the fear she is feeling reflected clearly there but also that she understands the fear that I am trying hard to conceal as well. She quickly averts her eyes and removes her hand.
"Will she be alright, Erik?" she asks softly as she comes around the bed and stands at my side.
She looks like the little girl I remembered her to be before Christine left me. She had matured over the past two years but her fear has shown through and I feel the urge to pull her into my arms and tell her that everything will be alright but I know that I cannot tell her what I myself am not even sure of. Instead, I say seriously, "I hope so, Meg. I am trying my best to help her and you are a big help. If it were not for your help, I do not think that I would be able to help her. Thank you, Meg."
"I do not want her to die, Erik," Meg sobs softly, unable to hold back her tears any longer.
"Now, now, Meg, Marie needs you to be strong. Please, try to be strong for her," I say soothingly.
"I will try, Erik," Meg sobs softly, as she wipes her eyes on her sleeve. "What do you wish for me to do?" she asks after a moment.
"Put your hand over mine like you did before," I say encouragingly.
She places her hand over mine once more and I quickly remove my hand from the bandage.
"Do you think you can hold the other bandage in place until I get her turned over?" I ask gently.
"Yes," she says determinedly as she carefully leans over Marie to reach the other bandage.
"Good. Now, when I turn her I need you to turn her head likewise," I instruct her before I turn Marie over to face me. She is still so lifeless that I quickly feel for a pulse. Relief washes over me as I find that there is one, but at the same time I am dismayed to find that it has not improved any since I found her.
Looking at the bandage on her forehead I see that it is already soaked with blood despite the constant pressure being applied to it. "Meg, can you go back around the bed and hold the bandage in place while I see to this gash?" I ask softly, knowing that I must work quickly.
"Of course," Meg replies quickly as I take over holding the bandages until she resumes her position on the other side of the bed.
By this time, Madeline has returned with an ice bag. "Here, Meg, hold this over the lump," Madeline instructs her daughter sternly. "We must reduce the swelling."
Meg looks at me questioningly as she takes the ice bag from her mother. I nod my head approvingly before turning my attention back to the gash on Marie's forehead.
"Madeline, would you come over here and help me, please?" I request shortly, knowing what must be done.
"Of course, Erik. What is it you need me to do?" she asks as she comes around to my side of the bed.
"Thread that needle and hold it over a candle to sterilize it while I clean this gash again," I say as I indicate the needle and thread on the nightstand beside me.
She quickly retrieves them and does as she was instructed while I dip the washcloth in the basin once again before removing the soaked bandage. There is so much blood... I must stop the bleeding for I fear she is running out of time!
I clean the wound and take the needle from Madeline, not bothering to allow it to cool first. I steadily begin to stitch the wound close, hoping that the heat from the needle will help to stop the bleeding. I must repeatedly wipe away fresh blood to obtain a clear view of the cut. I work feverishly while the precious seconds tick away on the nearby clock and I fear that with each moment that passes, Marie's life is slipping away.
Forcing myself to push this fear aside, I work steadily at closing the gash. Claude must have come up behind her and hit her on the back of the head causing her to fall to the ground and either hit her head on a large, sharp rock or cut it on a branch while she was falling... either way, it is a very long, deep gash which seems to be taking forever to get closed.
"The swelling has gone down and the bleeding has stopped," Meg says softly, interrupting my thoughts.
"That is good but you must keep the ice on it for a while yet. We would not want the swelling to return," I advise softly, not once removing my attention from the task of stitching the cut.
After what seems like a lifetime, I put the last stitch in place and lean back to examine my work. The bleeding has stopped except for a little blood trickling from around the stitches but that is to be expected. There will be a scar but I am sure that if she lives she will not mind. As for me, I could care less just as long as she is alive and well.
"Where did you learn to stitch wounds so well?" Meg asks as she too looks over my work.
"I have had to care for many of my own injuries over the years," I reply simply, not wishing to go into any detail.
"You have done a wonderful job," Madeline says as she takes a closer look.
"We shall see," I say sadly as I gaze upon Marie's peaceful face.
"You must not think like that," Madeline scolds me gently. "She needs you to be strong for her."
"You are correct, of course," I say submissively, as I sink to the floor beside Marie's still form, my emotions finally draining my strength. As I sit here, I glance at the clock. It is nearly one in the morning!
"You should get some sleep," Madeline chides softly. "You will be of no help to Marie without rest. You may have my room if you'd like."
"Thank you, but that will not be necessary. I wish to remain by her side incase she might need me," I say quickly.
"As you wish," she replies sympathetically.
"Thank you," I say softly, thankful for her understanding. A simple nod is her only reply before turning to Meg.
"Come along Meg," she says sternly as she ushers her daughter from the room, closing the door behind her.
Once I am sure that they are gone, I take Marie's hand in mine and press it to my lips. Her skin feels as cold as mine. "Please come back to me, Marie! I need you!" I plead softly, an urgent note in my trembling voice. "You must not leave me all alone again... I simply could not stand such solitude any longer! You have taught me how to live... how to feel truly loved! I will not give up on the love I have found and I beg of you to fight for that love... fight for your life, Marie!" As I finish my passionate plea and tears stream down my face, I feel the most wonderful feeling I have ever felt... her fingers tightened around mine ever so slightly but still I felt it and that feeling makes my heart leap with joy! Surely she will survive!
While still holding her hand in mine, I feel for her pulse with my other and am pleased to find that although it is still weak, it has improved since the bleeding was stopped. I also notice that her breathing has become less shallow and steadier. Both of these are good signs, indicating her recovery.
My relief mixes with exhaustion and I find myself suddenly very tired. Stripping down to my under garments I ease myself beneath the covers and carefully take Marie into my trembling arms. I leave my mask in place incase Meg were to come into the room to check on her friend's health.
I lay still for a very long time just savoring the feel of Marie in my arms, knowing that if her condition takes a turn for the worst I may never hold her like this again. I may never see her beautiful face aglow with her happiness... her love. I cannot live without her... of this I am quite sure for without her my life no longer holds any meaning. I must not think this way! She will survive!
"I love you more than you will ever know, Marie," I whisper softly as a tear strays from beneath the mask and drops soundlessly onto Marie's cheek. "I need you... Charles needs you. You must be strong and pull through this! I know you have the will to do it! You promised me that you would never leave me... please keep that promise," I beg softly, not wishing for anyone outside this room to hear my pleas.
Noticing the wetness on her cheek as a result of my tearful pleading, I take my thumb and gently wipe the moisture away.
Perhaps it is just my imagination but I am quite sure that as I gently caress her cheek she turns towards my touch if only slightly. Encouraged by this, I trace my fingers to her neck and feel for her pulse once more. It has improved a great deal since I last checked it.
With renewed hope surging through my veins, I settle down beside her once more, pulling her within the safe cocoon of my arms.
"Sleep well, my love," I whisper softly before pressing a light kiss to her cheek. I then begin to hum softly, hoping she will find it a comfort for she has often spoke of her dreams of being held in my embrace while I have hummed "The Awakening" to her when she was frightened.
Once the song is finished I allow my exhaustion to finally take control. Closing my eyes, I quickly succumb to sleep, almost certain that in those last moments of consciousness, just before all coherent thought is lost, I here Marie sigh softly.
