The brown eyed girl.
By LiltingBanshee.
Author´s note: My computer crashed yesterday and my chapter 8 disappeared:(
Luckily I had a handwritten copy, so hereyou go:)
Shdwcat27: Thank you:)
Clayphan16: Sorry for keeping you waiting, hope you enjoy this chappie;)
Pinkichigomewmew: thanks;)
Chapter 8...
Christine and Erik followed Meg into the ballroom and Christine felt her heart nearly stop when she saw a young man carry a limp figure to the divan.
The mass of dark curls in the young man´s arms could not be mistaken.
'This is my daughter!', Christine thought.
She pushed her way through the people who crowded around the scene, fell to her knees next to her daughter´s still body and softly pushed the curls away from her face.
"My angel, can you hear me?", she whispered.
Angeline was awfully pale, her lips blueish and Christine could see faint tear streaks on her cheeks.
She hardly noticed Erik coming up behind her and roughly grabbing the young man´s shoulders.
"What happened? Did you do something to hurt her? If you have anything to do with this I swear I will kill you!", he yelled at him.
The young man looked terrified, but managed an answer.
"N.. no Monsieur! I swear I did nothing! I found her out on the balcony. She was sitting in the snow huddled into a corner. She was unconscious Monsieur. All I did was carry her inside!", he stuttered.
Erik loosened his hold on the young man and turned to Christine.
She was rubbing Angeliné arms to get some heart back in her body.
Erik shrugged off his jacket and put it over the pale girl.
Meg pushed her way through to the divan with a short man behind her.
"Christine, this is Monsieur Laurent, he´s a doctor", she said. "He can help".
Christine stood up to greet the man.
"Please Monsieur, help my baby", she pleaded.
"Madame, I will do all I can", he said and turned to Angeline.
As he bent to examine her Christine went into Erik´s waiting arms and put her head on his shoulder.
"Erik if something happens to her I´ll just die! Please let her be allright", she whispered.
Erik planted a soft kiss in her hair and held her close to him.
"She will be fine Christine. She´s young and has a strong heart. And there is no way I´m going to let her die before I get to know her better", he said in a soothing manner.
The doctor doctor got up and turned his attention to Erik and Christine.
"Madame, Monsieur. Your daughter has been exposed to extreme cold. We need to get her warmed up.", he told them.
"Will she be allright then?", Christine asked hopefully.
"We can only hope Madame, her body could react badly to the cold", he looked slightly worried.
"You should get her out of here and into a warm bed".
"We have plenty of rooms upstairs Christine. Bring her up there", Meg said.
Erik bent down and scooped Angeline up in his arms. Followed by Christine and the doctor her carried her upstairs to the bedroom Meg showed him.
Meg brought Christine one of her nightgowns and Erik and the doctor left the room to allow the ladies to change Angeline´s clothes. After tucking the bedcovers around her daughter Christine let the men back in the room.
Doctor Laurent checked on Angeline again and Christine went over and touched Erik´s arms softly.
"Erik would you watch over her for a minute. I want to go apologize to Meg for shouting at her earlier, and I need to send a note to Raoul to let him know what has happened", she said.
At the mention of Raoul´s name she felt him flinch.
"Erik don´t.", she said. "I love you, but he has been like a father to her for 16 years. He needs to know".
Erik claimed her lips in a possessive kiss.
"I know my love. Go write him a note, I will look after our daughter".
Christine leaned up and kissed him again before slipping out the door.
Meg was outside in the hallway.
"Christine I´m so sorry for all this", Meg said with tears brimming in her eyes.
"No Meg. Don´t apologize. Erik told me everything. It was never your fault", Christine said.
"Oh Christine!", Meg threw her arms around her and cried. " I saw how you were hurting all those years and I could never tell you!".
Christine hugged her friend back.
"I know Meg, I know. Don´t worry I forgive you and I´m sorry I yelled at you."
"Thank you Christine. I couldn´t bear to loose you", Meg hiccupped.
"You´ll never loose me Meg, never!", Christine said.
"Meg I need to send a note to Raoul. Could I borrow some paper from you?", Christine asked.
"Of course, give me a second", Meg said and went into the study.
As Christine stood waiting in the hallway she felt someone coming up the stairs.
She recognized the young man who had found Angeline on the balcony.
She went over to him.
"Young Monsieur, who do I owe the gratitude for saving my daughter´s life?", she asked.
"My name is André Poulain, Madame", he said. "Forgive me Madame, I was sitting near the balcony doorsall night, but I never noticed anyone go out there".
"No please Monsieur Poulain, you found her before it was too late. I´m very grateful for that", Christine said.
"Please, if there is anything I can do to help let me know Madame", André said.
"First I insist you call me Christine", she said. "Do you think you could bring a note to a dear friend of mine? He needs to know what has happened.
"Certainly Ma... Christine. Just tell me where to go and I will ride out", André was eager to help.
When Christine had sent André off with the note she went back to Angeline´s room.
Erik and the doctor were still in there.
"Is there any change doctor", she asked.
"Her heartbeat is slightly weaker than I hoped for", he said. "But you must keep up hope".
Christine sat on the bed and grabbed her daughter´s ice-cold hand.
It seemed like an eternity before anyone spoke. It was doctor Laurent who broke the silence.
"Madame, you should get some rest. Nothing more will happen tonight. The child needs her sleep", he said.
Christine looked at Erik and he nodded.
"He´s right Christine. I will stay awake", he said.
Christine stood up and walked over to the chair he was sitting in. He opened his arms and she willingly sat down in his lab.
"Erik please, sing for me", she whispered.
He could deny her nothing and sang softly to her until he felt her drift off to sleep.
Then he kissed her curls and tightened his arms around her. He noticed Monsieur Laurent start to nod off to sleep as well.
"Please doctor, you should find a place to rest as well. You have already done so much for us tonight", he said.
When the doctor had left the room Erik gently placed Christine on the divan in the room so she could sleep in a more comfortable position.
"Christine, wake up. Raoul is here." Christine was roused from her sleep a couple of hours later by Meg´s soft touch to her shoulder.
She looked at Erik who was slumped in his chair in deep sleep. Angeline was breathing evenly in the bed.
She quietly followed Meg out the door and didn´t notice Erik open his eyes.
"Raoul!", Christine ran down the stairs and threw her arms around his neck.
"Christine I got your letter, what happened?", he asked as he held her.
"André, the young man who brought you the letter found her sitting in the snow out on the balcony, He brought her inside and she has been unconscious ever since", Christine explained.
"But what was she doing on the balcony on a wither night?", Raoul asked.
"I don´t know, I was talking to Erik and..."
"Erik?", Raoul asked loudly. "Erik is here?".
"Hello Monsieur le Vicomte", Christine and Raoul both looked up at the sound of the voice.
As Erik descended down the stairs Raoul´s eyes grew hard.
"You have some nerve waltzing back into her life at this time", he said thought his teeth.
"Raoul please...", Christine said.
"No Christine, he abandoned you for all those years and then shows up like nothing happened!" Raoul said.
"Raoul, he didn´t know", Christine attempted.
"You weren´t there to watch her suffer, to hold when she cried or to help her mind the baby. You were never there!", Raoul shouted.
"Monsieur le Vicomte do not try my patience..." Erik warned.
"I am not afraid of you anymore", Raoul spat, his face close to Erik´s.
Erik grabbed his shoulders and shoved him to the wall.
"I swear I will not hesitate a moment to snap your neck like I should have so many years ago!", Erik gritted through his teeth.
"You don´t have the nerve for that", Raoul answered back.
With the look of pure hatred in his eyes Erik grabbed his throat and pressed him against the wall.
"STOP!". Christine´s frantic scream made Erik loosen his grip.
"How dare you two behave like this when my baby might be dying in the bed upstairs!", Christine said with tears running down her cheeks.
Erik let go of Raoul who coughed and gently touched his sore throat.
The sound of coughing from upstairs made them all look up.
"Angel!", Christine gasped and bolted for the stairs.
Angeline was tossing and turning in the bed. Her face was sweaty and she coughed and whimpered.
Christine tried to calm her. " Shh my baby. Mamma is here", she soothed.
"Please fetch the doctor", she yelled at Erik and Raoul.
Monsieur Laurent quickly entered the room and went to Angeline.
"Please gentlemen, you must leave the room", he said.
"But...", both Erik and Raoul protested.
"You two, out now!", Christine demanded and both men shuffled out of the room.
"Madame, she has an alarming high fever", the doctor didn´t look too pleased. "You must prepare yourself...".
" Oh God No!", Christine whimpered. "Don´t take my child. I beg you! Anything else, but my little girl", she cried.
Monsieur Laurent gently touched her shoulder.
"I can do nothing more Madame. We can only hope", he said and left Christine alone with her child.
When Erik entered the room some time later he found Christine lying on the bed cradling her child, the tears drying on her cheeks.
Angeline´s rasped breathing was the only sound in the room.
He quietly went to the other side of the bad and lowered himself to the madras.
He put his arm over Angeline and held both her and Christine.
"Please fight this my child", he whispered. "It would break your mother´s heart to loose you. And mine too my darling. I love you so dearly my child".
He couldn´t keep his tears at bay and sobbed quietly into his daughter´s dark curls.