Chapter 10

Recovery, God willing.

"What if its typhoid fever, Charles, keep the kids away, keep everyone away from here. She is delirious and cannot make sense, no telling where she has been, she could be sick with something that will kill all of us. Get the docteur now, be quick."

Madam left the room to go and get water for her face in the pitcher, while Charles went to get the docteur. Erik took this opportunity to go to Christine and comfort her quickly. She was in such a state looking for him, it worried him.

"My dearest darling, I am here."

"Erik, oh God, I had another… Erik, don't go away ever again, hold me, hold me, I feel that I can't see through this fog, my head, what happened? Erik, Erik….."

"Hush my dear, you must rest and get well, you are feverish and very ill. You can't see me right now, I shall sing in your ear when you are scared, be listening, that will let you know I am there. Quiet now, Christine, the Docteur is coming soon."

Christine drifted back off into her troubled sleep, whispering Erik's name every so often, he would kiss her forehead and go back to the cupboard now, before he was found out. God it was death to leave her side like this, he was so pained to separate himself from her when she needed him so desperately. Still, he knew it was for the best, so he left her side to reclaim the shadows of the cupboard once more.

The door opened, in came Charles with the docteur, they dispensed with the civil niceties, then the docteur began to ask them questions about her symptoms.

"Oui, I know it is important, but Mademoiselle De Lecat, she has been tired since she arrived here, oh, two days ago. She looks like she has been through an ordeal, she is here from Paris. She was going to send an urgent note to relatives in Paris, but she seemed to think there was illness calling her back to Paris, so she said that the note would not need to be sent after all. Anyway, she had a good appetite when she first got here, but she has not been eating much since yesterday morning. Today the tray had a negligible amount of tea missing; the bisque was not touched. I think she wanted us to believe that she was feeling ok, she obviously wasn't. Docteur, it's not Typhoid fever, is it?"

"Well, Madame, let me examine her, what did you say was her name? "

"Madeline De Lecat, Mademoiselle, Docteur, she is not married, just like you, I daresay."

Christine heard what they were saying from far off, it was curious, these strangers were standing over her talking about Madeline De Lecat, she thought they were helping her, where was she? She could not reason where she was or what was happening. Then she drifted further into her mind. In her minds eye she was on the stage in the Opera Populaire, practicing her piece for "Hannibal" when Erik comes up and speaks softly in her ear …"Sing softly for me my angel of music, I shall sing with you, our voices shall blend in perfect harmony, as our bodies move to the erotic strains the music creates in us." In her dazed semiconscious he comes to her, moves behind her and slowly takes her in his arms. She is safe, as he cradles her head against his chest and kisses the back of her head. Slowly they move, swaying back and fourth, his hands caressing her softly to build her waning confidence. She is mesmerized and closes her eyes…

"What is she doing, Docteur?"

"She is delirious, in a dream…"

As she begins singing softly and almost inaudible, the Docteur looks at her with a strange look, he seems to remember seeing her somewhere before. He cannot place her, though. The name is not familiar. He didn't spend much time in Paris, as his practice here kept him quite busy, he would occasionally visit the opera house, but that was about all. Then he started to mentally comb through the operas he had seen recently. No, he didn't remember any Madeline De Lecat. She sounded trained, though she was weak and it was not easy for her to vocalize in this state. He put these thoughts to rest and began to examine her carefully.

After several minutes of careful examination, listening to her lungs, as well as checking her fever, 104, he was able to decipher the best guess from symptoms and actions. He ruled out Pneumonia and Influenza, her lungs were clear, for the time being.

"Madam, I fear that your assignations were correct, she is sick with Typhoid fever. If we contain her in here, you may just want to close this section of the Pension for now and allow her to convalesce? It shall run its course and she shall either be dead or well within 5 days. Will you allow her to stay here? I shall have my assistant come and tend to her, for 5 hours a day. I hope that is ok with you?"

"Monsieur, as I see it there is not much choice. I cannot leave a lone child to fend for herself with a fever like this. I don't like it though, it is bad for business and I have small children, I don't want them to fall ill. Shall I get strips of cloth for us to wear when tending to her food? What shall I feed her, bisque, and crackers? Will she eat much, or should I let your assistant tend to that for her?"

"If that is what you need to feel better about her being her, by all means. I don't know if it is going to help much, though. Just try to be clean, and minimize contact with her. That should keep you safe. As for food, yes, have bisque, no crackers, just liquid, and please, tea, weak tea. That shall help to keep her strength up. " The Docteur was so sure that he had seen her before, it was really bothering him; he could not imagine where he had seen her. Maybe she was a chorus girl at the opera house, though they all looked the same. Maybe she was a patron, or performer. No matter now, if her fever didn't break soon, she would not know who she was either. She may not live to have a future.
"I have done about all I can for now, I will check in on her every morning and evening, if there are problems, send for me, I shall be here. Monique shall be here shortly to tend to her, sponge her down and feed her. That is about all I can do for her. The fever shall run its course; there is no medicine to help her through this, just keeping her cool and comfortable. Maybe we can crack her window? Allow some cool fresh air in for her."

"Oui, Monsieur, that I can do. I will see how the rest goes, if it becomes too much, we shall have to move her. If she is to die, I want her out before she expires. I don't want people to be afraid to stay here, for legend will grow if she dies here."

"Just keep knowledge to a minimum of the situation, and guard the room."

"We shall place equipment on this wing and say we are repairing some rooms that shall keep people and workers from suspecting. We have done the soffits already, that will work. Oui, oui, we can do this. Now I feel better, I shall go and make her some bisque myself." Madam walked off feeling quite proud of herself for figuring out that little problem. Her business would be saved. She cracked the window, gathered the full water basin to empty it out the window and place back on the bureau, then she left the room to go get more water and begin some bisque for Mademoiselle Madeline. Before she left the room, she stopped by the bed and looked down at Christine's white form laying so fitfully in the bed, she crossed herself and muttered "Saints preserve us, bless this innocent child." She did a quick curtsy at the foot of the bed and turned on her heals to collect the pitcher and leave the room.

Now, Erik knew that Christine would be safe in here. He worried over the Docteur and his apparent recognition of Christine. If the Docteur figured out where he knew her from, they would be in danger, and there would be no way to escape if Christine was in the throes of fever at the time. He may have to break his promise to Christine for her safety. He would have to watch the Docteur closely.

The docteur rose from Christine's bedside. With one last look at her, and a furrowed brow deep in concentration, he wrote some notes for himself, and turned to leave. He paused at the window and looked out , deep in thought. Then he left the room.

Erik chained the door and went to Christine's side. Knowing what was wrong now, he knew what to do to make her better. She was not going to ride out this horrible fever, he would see to it that she was well within a day. Then all she would need to do is to gain her strength back. Thank God Raoul did not see Erik or Christine yesterday. Though he would still be too near for comfort today if he got word. Erik needed to keep close eye on Docteur, once Christine was on the right side of this illness. At least disruptions would be at a minimum for fear of illness would keep them away. Erik went down on his knee and grasped her hand in his. The feel of Erik touching her roused Christine to semi consciousness. She looked wearily at Erik, smiling a very weak smile, but saying I love you with her very tired eyes. Erik said; "I know, Christine, I love you too. I know what to do to help you, my dear, I have to make another awful tasting potion for you to drink, for the next three days. It is strong; you will need to eat something after taking it. I know it is hard to think of putting anything into the torrent inside of you, but you will not keep the medicine in there if you do not take something with it. I will mix it here; I brought the stuff to make it in case we could not fix you with the other potion I made. I needed to know for sure it was typhoid fever first; this medicine can lose its ability to work if you use it for just anything. Therefore the Docteur had to diagnose it first."

All of this was lost on Christine; all she could do was to watch Erik, feeling as if she were falling, trying to ask him to catch her, quick. Then she went back into the dream, he was touching her softly, his warm breath on her, all around her, burning her up. Claiming her every desire for him, she was lost in a feeling of eroticism that she only had when he was there talking to her. She could only feel, he was there and she didn't care about anything else.

Erik turned to look at his wounded angel, he was so scared for her, she had much still to go through before he could be sure she would make it. He had a potion that he knew was curing the gypsies when they got the fever, so he was sure he could help her with this one. He finished mixing it and returned to her side; "Here my darling, I want you to drink this, I will then feed you this croissant that I saved from last night. I fear Madam forgot she gave you this."

As he sat next to her, she tried to rise to sitting and grab him. She so wanted to get lost in him again, she was hallucinating, and she only knew her desire to feel him was greater than all life itself now. She was feeling so helpless and out of control, that she could feel control in, and on some level it would be comforting. Erik looked at her very alarmed when she began to come to him.

"Christine, my love, what are you doing, you are way too weak and sick to try to rise. You are delirious with fever; come on, lay back down, calm down, there is all the time in the world for you to get well, do not rush."

All Christine heard though was "No, I can't be with you" and it made her cry. She was damaged, he could not have a damaged wife, he was the only one allowed to be damaged. She was floating away now. She quickly fell back, losing consciousness.

Erik panicked for just a moment when she did that, for she let out a weak cry just before, it sounded so full of anguish it tore his heart in two. She was so out of her mind right now. What would he do if this didn't work on her? It was the only thing left that he could think of. Erik tried to rouse her enough to get her to drink the potion. She was reluctant at first, trying to stop the pain in her head and eyes when she tried to open them, then the lashes fluttered open slowly, she looked bewildered, Erik knew her fever had risen still more. She had to drink soon, or she would not make it through the night.

"Christine, you must drink this, it is vital that you get this in you now, or it will be too late to work on you and I shall lose you forever. Please Christine, hear me, my love."

A hoarse whisper issued from Christine's weakened lips, "Ok, Erik, for you, if you promise you love me…"

"Oh my darling Christine, I love you more than you know. You would destroy me if you died; I have told you that before. Now, my love, drink this all the way, for me."

Christine opened her mouth a little, Erik placed the cup up to her, the first taste caused Christine to splutter and cough weakly, but after that, she drank it steadily down till it was gone. The bitter liquid began to turn her stomach the moment it reached the throat; she knew that Erik was right about having to put something with it. Erik pulled off small bite sized pieces of the croissant and fed her patiently and lovingly, looking deeply into her eyes to keep her there with him until it was gone. She remained locked eye to eye with Erik through the whole croissant, and after it was done, he reached on the bedside table for the rest of the glass of water he had poured for her earlier that morning. She drank some of the water and smiled at him. It was still very weak and small, but the smile sent a tear trickling down Erik's face unbidden. His love still loved him, even in delirium, it was Heaven on earth. "Thank you God, now, please, get her well"… Erik silently said to himself. Christine closed her lids once more, falling blissfully back to oblivion.

Erik walked over to the door and unchained the latch, he then locked the door with the key lock, so they could unlock it when they returned. He would sit at the side of her bed and wait while they were gone. Nobody was going to have to spend 5 hours with her now, she would be getting much better very quickly now. Erik returned to the bed, and sat down on the side; he held Christine loosely and rested back in the bed, sitting against the pillows once more. He would stay there and keep watch over her, as an angel should do, singing softly for only her ears. "I love you Christine, you have made me whole. My love unbidden, fulfilled by you and your unselfish ways. In all the world, no fairer a maiden lives with such a generous heart, my heart she steals with her complete desires a fair good lot she gives. My pleasures her with in me stand, her love a butterfly upon my hand. She flutters about in the breeze knowing she will always come home to me. She is my angel, my one desire, I long to hold her, feel her fire. She is my love, my one true love, I long to be hers forevermore. Forevermore to me she be, forevermore my love to thee.

Erik dozed off for a bit, his simple tune falling off, he was so relieved to know he could save her as she had saved him. The darkness had almost claimed them both, he knew there was never any danger from anyone else again. They were inexorably joined together from this moment on. They had yet to realize just how true this was.