From Heaven's Mind

Chapter 10

For Christine, the next couple of weeks were fairly uneventful. For Erik, they were a little more so. Not that he planned them that way. Things seemed to be going well at the opera house, Tony proving to be worth his weight in gold with the planning and designs. But for some reason he was finding himself more and more distracted. Tony had even commented on it.

One lunch, he dismissed the cast and settled in his office. He reached into a drawer and took out two aspirin. These headaches were getting more frequent. Tony knocked on the door and came in just as Erik swallowed the pills.

"Another headache?"

"Hmm. Have you got those programme roughs?" Erik said. Tony passed him the copies and frowned.

"Mr Destler, why don't you go to England a day early? I can handle things here and I think you could do with the time off."

"Absolutely not." Erik said flatly. Tony didn't argue. He knew better.

Christine sat in the music room and played some of the score from Des Yeux d'Ange. She sighed and closed the book. She couldn't settle on anything at the moment. It was a month until the show opened and James had been reminding them of the fact all day.

There was a knock on the door of the music room.

"Christine? Are you in there?" Nadir called.

"Yes, come in." He entered and she saw that his face was twisted into a frown. "What's wrong?"

"I've got to go to London for a few days. Four or five at the most. I hate leaving you here alone but it-"

"Oh, for goodness sake, Nadir! I'm not a child." Christine said crossly. "I'll be fine. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow, the 30th."

"That's fine. Don't worry; I've got more than enough to keep me busy here." Christine assured him. He looked relieved.

"Alright… thanks Christine."

"Don't be silly. Go on. Aren't you having dinner with June tonight?"

"Yes." He smiled. "In fact I'd better be on my way to get her. I'll see you later."

He disappeared and Christine rolled her eyes as she began to play idly. And then a thought struck her in a way not dissimilar to that of an anvil dropping on her head.

Tomorrow was the thirtieth of October. But… that couldn't be right.

She was five days late for her period.

Shock coursed through her, icy cold and boiling hot. And then rationalisation took place. Christine got to her feet quickly, rushing out of the music room to the sitting room, where she'd left her bag. She bumped into one of the servants on the way.

"Is everything alright, Mrs Destler?" Susan asked anxiously. Christine blinked and then nodded.

"Oh, yes. Sorry, I've got to…" She darted into the living room and pulled the diary out of her bag, leafing through the pages, tearing one in her haste.

She hadn't been mistaken. There it was, clear as day. She should have started her period nearly a week ago and she was never late. Christine sank into a chair, suddenly a little light-headed.

OK, she thought, look at this seriously. She and Erik had always used protection, every time. Not once had they gone without. They'd both been very sensible about it. Yes, contraception wasn't one hundred per cent effect but it was very close.

Couldn't stress affect the menstrual cycle? It seemed logical – after all, hadn't James been reminding them just today that they only had a month left before the opening night? Yes, that made much more sense, Christine decided. But, just to be sure, she'd buy a pregnancy test tomorrow after rehearsal.

And there was no need to tell Erik. She wouldn't worry him over what could be nothing.

Erik left the Opera House, pulling his coat around him. The weather had turned rather chilly and he was grateful for the warmth. As he went down the steps someone called his name. He turned and saw Kelly walking towards him.

"Miss Delaney." He nodded with a brief smile. She smiled back widely.

"Hi Mr Destler. Are you just finishing? It's kinda late."

"There's a lot of work to do." He said. She nodded.

"I know. I can't wait for the opera though. I love seeing them, but I don't get much of a chance."

"I hope it will meet your expectations."

She smiled, her cheeks an attractive pink in the cool weather.

"Do you live in the area?" Erik asked.

"No, I was just visiting a friend and I figured I'd walk around for a while before heading home. Gives me a chance to clear my head." Kelly said. Erik looked at his watch.

"We're not far from my apartment. Would you care for a coffee?"

"I'd love one!" She said, looking positively delighted. Erik began to lead the way to his penthouse as they spoke amiably about the weather.

Kelly was clearly impressed with the penthouse, admiring the view and the décor.

"You've got a great place here, Mr Destler."

"The Opera House supplied it for me." He said, putting the kettle on for coffee. Kelly looked around and caught sight of the score for the opera. She picked it up and Erik said,

"I'd rather you didn't look at that."

"Ah, of course. Going for the surprise opening?"

"It's rather effective." He smiled. Kelly's eyes fell onto a wedding picture. Christine and Erik beneath a tree, both with large smiles, full of happiness.

"Nice picture."

"Thank you."

"I've still got mine up at home. I guess I should take it down." She said dolefully. Erik looked up.

"You're married?"

"Divorced. He left me last year." She said, sitting at the counter in the kitchen as Erik poured hot water into the coffee pot. "I was a total mess. But I managed to pick myself up and got into journalism."

Erik looked at her.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm better off without him. I heard a bit about him recently. He's working abroad now. I'm glad." She said. "He was… difficult. I guess we rushed into it. We were only dating for about eight months before we got married."

"That was a little soon."

"I loved him at the time. It was kinda foolish really; I didn't even know him that well. I was just… enamoured." She said.

Erik considered her.

"I've been very lucky." He said slowly. "To have found someone like Christine."

"See, I didn't really get that. She seems so different to you." Kelly said curiously. Erik shrugged.
"We are different in many ways. And yet very similar. We had both been alone for a long time before we met. I had very much given up on finding someone and she wasn't really looking for someone. But when I met her, I was fascinated by her. Milk and sugar?"

"Please. So was it love at first sight?" Kelly asked. Erik considered.

"I don't know. The first time I saw Christine she was sat alone at the back of a theatre, waiting to audition. And then she sang for us and… I wouldn't say that I fell in love with her then. But I got to now her throughout the preparation for the show and every new thing I found out about her made me adore her that little bit more."

Kelly forced herself to smile.

"That's sweet. I don't suppose you've got a brother, have you?"

"No, I'm very relieved to say. I have no family." He said, handing her a cup of coffee.

"None? What about your parents?"

"Both dead. I don't consider either of them a great loss, if I'm going to be frank." Erik said dryly. Although this hadn't always been true. In his early childhood he had strived so hard to please his parents. Or, more particularly, his mother.

Amelia Destler had been a stunning woman, loved by many and desperate for a child. How much of a disappointment he must have been to her, Erik had often thought, rather bitterly. His mind returned to that night, stood in the doorway to his room watching the doctors and nurses run past to his parent's bedroom at the opposite end of their London home. It was the same house but I could have been a different world to someone who rarely left his room. And that room where his mother lay dying was a different universe altogether…

"Father?" Marcus Destler turned and saw the lanky sixteen year old nearby, the rough cover on his face.

"Go back to your room." He said harshly.

"She hasn't got long, has she?" Erik said quietly. Marcus slumped, his shoulder rounded.

"…No… no, she hasn't."

"I want to see her."

"No, Erik. Go to your room."

The turquoise eyes seemed to spit fire at him.

"Let me see her."

"No."

"I want to see her! She's my mother!" He tried to move past to the bedroom but Marcus caught his arm, dragging him back. Erik struggled against his father's iron grip.

"Let me see her!"

"No, Erik!"

"She's my mother, I must see her!" Erik shouted and Marcus rounded on him furiously.

"She doesn't want you, Erik!"

Erik fell back, staring at his father. He knew it was true. She had never wanted him. Why would she know? Why should he make her suffer in her final moments, inflicting his face on her?

Marcus gazed down at his son and a doctor called his name urgently. He turned and left without looking back. Erik watched him go before returning slowly to his room.

"Mr Destler?" He snapped out of his memories to see Kelly Delaney looking at him in gentle concern. "Is everything OK? Lost you there for a moment."

"Lost in my memories." Erik said quietly. "Some I'd rather forget."

Kelly looked down at her coffee.

"We've all got a few memories we'd like to forget. Those tend to be the ones that hang on hardest." Erik couldn't disagree with that. Kelly looked up at him with a slight smile.

"Perhaps we just keep them so we won't make the same mistakes twice."

"Perhaps."

"I've learned my lesson now." She said, keeping her eyes on his. "I would go after a guy like him again. I need someone who I know would love me back."

Erik tore his gaze away from hers uncomfortably.

"That's very wise." He said, drinking some of his coffee. Kelly looked down at her own cup, smiling to herself. After a moment she said,

"I'd better go. I've got some stuff to do. This was… this was really nice, Mr Destler."

She held out her hand to his and he squeezed it gently.

"Goodbye Miss Delaney."

"I'll see you around." She smiled before letting herself out. Erik stared at the closed door and then shook his head in disbelief. He had not imagined that. She had definitely been… flirty.

He decided to try and forget the whole incident with a hot shower and a big pile of paperwork.

Christine was desperate for rehearsals to end and dreading it at the same time. When James finally dismissed them, she picked up her bag and headed for the exit. Max caught up with her.

"Hey Christine. Coming over for dinner tonight?"

"Not tonight. I'm just going to get an early night. Maybe tomorrow." He looked at her oddly.

"Christine, tomorrow is Friday. Erik's coming home isn't he?"

She stared at him and then blinked.

"Oh, yes. Max, I've got something to do, I'll see you tomorrow, OK?" She gabbled, dashing for the door. Max stared after her. Rebecca joined him, frowning, clearly having overheard.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"You tell me." Max said slowly.

Christine stared at the array of pregnancy tests in the chemists. The woman at the counter was writing down stock and Christine hovered nearby. Eventually she looked up.

"Can I help you?"

"I… I need a…" She gestured helplessly and the woman smiled.

"Right. Do you know which one?"

"No."

"How late are you?"

"About a week." Christine mumbled. The woman nodded, eying the tests before selecting one.

"I think this one is your best bet. Of course these aren't always correct, but you get two in a pack. If both say the same result you can be fairly certain."

Christine quickly paid and took the bag. The woman smiled pleasantly.

"Have a nice day." She said airily before returning to her previous task. Christine lifted her eyebrows.

A nice day… right.

She got back to the house on Rochdale, managed to avoid all the servant and slipped into the en suite bathroom from the bedroom. She followed the instructions on the packet, wrinkling her nose a little and left the two tests to their decisions.

She wandered out into the bedroom, impatient. There was a knock on the bedroom door and she jumped a mile.

"Yes?"

"You've got visitors, Mrs Destler." A servant called. Christine cast a desperate glance at the bathroom and closed the door tightly before leaving the bedroom and going downstairs. Max and Rebecca were stood in the entrance hall. Christine frowned, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

"What are you two doing here?" She asked.

"Checking up on you." Max said.

"Christine, what's up with you? You've been distracted all day, you completely forget about Erik coming home tomorrow and you ran out of the theatre like it was on fire today." Rebecca said, frowning slightly in concern.

Christine glanced at her watch. Two minutes.

"Nothings wrong. I'm just… I'm just tired. I'm nervous; I'm only just realising how little time we have left. I just wanted to get home and practise and get an early night." She said earnestly and then smiled. "I'm sorry for making you worry. But I'm fine. Seriously."

They both looked at her in disbelief. Christine looked at her watch again. One minute.

"Late for something?" Max asked.

"No… I… I left the bath running upstairs. So I'll see you guys tomorrow." She smiled. Max and Rebecca exchanged a glance and Christine sighed. "I'm fine! Really, go on. Max, you go and call Cara. Rebecca, you go and… do whatever you had planned for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

They both looked thoroughly unconvinced but left all the same. Christine turned and ran, two steps at a time, up the stairs. She practically threw herself through the bedroom door, locked it behind her and moved towards the bathroom.

She froze as she opened the door. Suddenly this all seemed far too frightening. She looked down at her abdomen. Was there someone in there? Was there an actual person growing inside of her? That was terrifying and so… so grown up. Christine knew she was twenty five and being pregnant might not be such a big deal. But that didn't stop it being a scary prospect.

"Look, you're not getting any less pregnant by standing here." She told herself sternly and forced herself to march over to the surface where the two sticks sat. She stood over them, eyes closed, contemplating her fate. Her heart was beating impossibly fast and she knew that her hands were trembling.

Christine opened her eyes and looked down at the two tests, both of which displayed their results as clear as day.

A/N: That's all folks! Mwahaha! Oh my gosh, I'm dastardly. And remember, don't try and guess because you could be entirely wrong! Tee hee. Anyway, next chapter may be a while. Work experience is hard! I'm working at my local bookshop and today I got to use the till and the scanner. I like the scanner. It beeps. Heh.

Anyways, please leave a review and make my day! This chapter is a little shorter than usual but what it lacks in length it makes up for in cliff-hangers.

Lotsa luv 'n' huggles

Katie